ID-5184 Wonca Abstracts supplement A-K 13-10-23 - Flipbook - Page 218
WONCA 2023 Supplement 1: WONCA 2023 abstracts (A–K)
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Medical students with extended learning in rural primary
care: Where are they 10 years on?
A/Prof Lara Fuller, Ms Jessica Beattie, Vincent Versace
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Deakin University
Background
Medical graduates who have attended a rural clinical school (RCS) have consistently been found more
likely to become rural doctors; however, the majority of this training is delivered in hospital settings,
with less focus on the specific workforce outcomes for graduates of longitudinal integrated clerkship
(LIC) programs that provide extended periods of training based in rural general practice. Deakin
University School of Medicine’s LIC program, located in the Grampians and south-west regions of
Victoria, Australia, began in 2010. During the third year of the four-year graduate-entry MD course, LIC
students are hosted for 12 months in rural general practices and affiliated health services. LIC students
undertake the same curriculum and assessment as their hospital-based peers, albeit within a very
different context.
Objective
This presentation will describe the results of a cross-sectional observational study linking 10 years
of Deakin University LIC graduates’ (2011–20) principal place of practice in 2021 (Modified Monash
Model) with relevant graduate and training variables and draw comparisons with overall graduate
outcomes.
Results
Almost 30% of LIC graduates were working rurally, almost double previously published results for all
graduates (16.2%). More than half of those working rurally (55%) were in communities of similar rurality
(Modified Monash 3–7) to the LIC program. Graduates were more likely to work rurally if they were from
a rural background (OR 3.28; 95% CI: 1.63, 6.59) or completed a further year of rural training (OR 2.76;
95% CI: 1.35, 5.66). There were no significant differences based on postgraduate year of graduates.
Conclusion
A decade of training students in rural primary care is showing promising signs of positive workforce
outcomes for communities of similar rurality to the training region. This effect is further enhanced if
students complete a further year of rural training or come from a rural background.
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