Impact of Rural Clinical Experience on Medical Student Attitudes toward Rural Practice
Keywords:
Rural, Graduate Medical Education, ExposureAbstract
Background: Rural communities face persistent health disparities and physician shortages, making rural exposure in medical education increasingly important.
Objective: This study investigates the impact of short rural clinical rotations on medical students’ interest in rural practice with housing assistance provided by the home institution.
Methods: Over a one-year time frame from May 10, 2024, to May 10, 2025, this study surveyed a total of 21 participating medical students within one week of starting and after completing a rural clinical rotation. A total of 17 medical students at Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center at the Permian Basin Campus completed both pre- and post-surveys during a one- to four-week rural rotations.
Results: Students expressed an increased likelihood of participating in a career in rural or underserved medicine (p=0.0005 via Wilcoxon signed-rank test), an increase familiarity with challenges and requirements of practicing in rural or underserved settings (p=0.0002 via Wilcoxon signed-rank test) and rated an increased confidence with their ability to meet the needs of these populations (p=0.03 via Wilcoxon signed-rank test). Post-survey analysis of 18 responses revealed that 16/18 expressed a positive influence in their interest to serve rural communities while 2/18 expressed no influence. Qualitative responses emphasized themes of community connection, broad physician scope of practice, and recognition of social determinants of health.
Conclusion: This study highlights the effectiveness of brief rural clinical rotations in shaping student perspectives, underscoring the potential role of targeted educational experiences in preparing and ushering the next generation of physicians for rural practice.
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References
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