Volume 202 - Issue 9
Determinants of rural practice: positive interaction between rural background and rural undergraduate training
Author: Mark H Arnold
Med J Aust 2015; 202 (9): 477. || doi: 10.5694/mja15.00094
Published online: 18 May 2015
Published online: 18 May 2015
Long-term rural undergraduate training also encourages city students to consider a country practice
To the Editor: The rural clinical school (RCS) initiative is acknowledged as a successful policy response to the rural–urban medical workforce imbalance.1 Kondalsamy-Chennakesavan and colleagues' article regarding the location of practice of Commonwealth-supported alumni from the University of Queensland Rural Clinical School (UQRCS) concludes that there appears to be a compounding effect of RCS experience on a background of “rurality”, when compared with metropolitan students undertaking similar rural placements.2
These results differ from those of the University of Sydney RCS3 and the University of Western Australia RCS,4 the former of which was not referenced by the authors. These earlier articles suggest that long-term RCS placements change the likelihood of all students' uptake of rural internships3 and rural practice in general,4 not simply those of rural origin versus metropolitan origin students.
Australian universities operating RCSs employ differing admission criteria for undergraduate and postgraduate courses, course durations and pedagogical constructs in their curricula; both rural and metropolitan students are subject to differing personal or financial circumstances.5 Within the Commonwealth RCS funding parameters, there is the potential for a plurality of interpretations and implementation of RCS placements.
The authors' conclusions reflect the situation pertaining to their institution, and hence it would not be justified to generalise that the goals of the RCS scheme are best served by restricting or preferencing long-term RCS placements to students of rural rather than urban origin.
Competing interests
No relevant disclosures.
References
- Hudson JN, May JA. What influences doctors to work in rural locations [editorial]? Med J Aust 2015; 202: 5-6. 1
- Kondalsamy-Chennakesavan S, Eley DS, Ranmuthugala G, et al. Determinants of rural practice: positive interaction between rural background and rural undergraduate training. Med J Aust 2015; 202: 41-45. 2
- Clark TR, Freedman SB, Croft AJ, et al. Medical graduates becoming rural doctors: rural background versus extended rural placement. Med J Aust 2013; 199: 779-782. 3
- Playford DE, Evans SF, Atkinson DN, et al. Impact of the Rural Clinical School of Western Australia on work location of medical graduates. Med J Aust 2014; 200: 104-107. 4
- Hays RB, Lockhart KR, Teo E, Smith J, Waynforth D. Full medical program fees and medical student career intention. Med J Aust 2015; 202: 46-49. lefthere