Conducting clerkships in rural settings prepared students for working and living in these areas and positively influenced graduates´ desire to practice rural medicine or family medicine. Students who participated recognised that the rural clerkships expedited both their personal and professional growth. Much research has been done on the effects of such programs. In addition, they can become part of the community life and build connections with physicians and patients. In this way, students experience what it is like to work and live in such an environment. Most of these programs are based on continuity, which means that students stay in a rural region for an extended period of time, by completing clerkships. To encourage students already during medical school to work in rural areas, many countries have developed specific programs, often with a focus on family medicine. Regarding the work conditions, these include the fear of a higher level of responsibility, less support from a team and fewer opportunities for networking. ![]() Factors of a personal nature are fear of social isolation and limited work opportunities for their partners. Research shows that the reasons for this are both personal and professional. Another problem in many countries is that not enough students are motivated to work in rural areas. This problem is not new - in the 1960s, too few medical students were interested in a career as a general practitioner as well. ![]() Factors that are taken into account are the research possibilities, the perceived status of the discipline and the patient population. For example, in many countries too few students are interested in a specialisation in family medicine, psychiatry or Gynecology, which will create a future shortage of physicians in these specialties. The aspirations of medical students do not always match the needs of society. This choice is not only important for the students themselves, but also for society. It is important to take these insights into account when designing and implementing these programs.Ĭhoosing a specialisation is probably the most important decision medical students have to make. Many students who might be interested in general practice do not choose to take part in such a program because they do not want to commit to a particular specialty or region at an early stage. To encourage students to participate in such a program, it is important to consider the motives of students. Offering programs to prepare and motivate students for work as general practitioners in rural areas can contribute to increasing the pool of future general practitioners. In addition, students indicate that the number of regions where this program is offered is too limited for them. In the open comments, we find the same reasons: many students do not want to commit to a certain direction too early. In third place is “personal connections to another region” with 30.5%. Resultsīased on the answers of 442 students from study years 3–6, the most frequently chosen reason for not participating in the program is “identification with another discipline” with 61.0%, directly followed by “not willing to commit long-term” (56.1%). Furthermore, the questionnaire focused on the reasons for not participating in this program. First, we asked the students whether they actively informed themselves about the program which aims to reduce the shortage of general practitioners in rural areas in Bavaria. ![]() We carried out a questionnaire study among medical students in the clinical phase of the Technical University of Munich in Germany. The purpose of the present study is to get insight into the reasons why students choose not to participate in these programs. Although the effects of these programs are positive, it is often difficult to motivate students to participate. ![]() To solve this problem, several, sometimes partly extracurricular, programs have been developed. In many countries, not enough students are interested to work as general practitioners in rural areas.
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