Rural intentions: factors affecting the career choices of family medicine graduates
- PMID: 18625827
- PMCID: PMC2464808
Rural intentions: factors affecting the career choices of family medicine graduates
Abstract
Objective: To investigate the reasons for family medicine graduates' career choices.
Design: Qualitative study using focus groups and one-on-one interviews.
Setting: University of Calgary in Alberta.
Participants: Seventeen male and female second-year family medicine residents, representing a range of ages and areas of origin, enrolled in the 2004 urban and rural south streams of the family medicine residency program at the University of Calgary.
Method: During the final month of training, 2 focus groups were conducted to determine graduating students' career choices and the reasons for them. After focus-group data were analyzed, a questionnaire was constructed and subsequently administered to participants during face-to-face or telephone interviews.
Main findings: Most residents initially planned to do urban locums in order to gain experience. In the long term, they planned to open practices in urban areas for lifestyle and family reasons. Many residents from the rural stream had no long-term plans to establish rural practices. Most residents said they felt prepared for practice, but many indicated that an optional third year of paid training, with an emphasis on emergency medicine, obstetrics, and pediatrics, would be desirable. Reasons cited for not practising in rural areas were related to workload, lifestyle issues, family obligations, and perceived lack of medical support in the community. Only 4 female graduates and 1 male graduate intended to practise obstetrics. The main reason residents gave for this was inadequate training in obstetrics during residency. Finances were cited as a secondary reason for many choices, and might in fact be more important than at first apparent.
Conclusion: Despite its intention to recruit family medicine graduates to rural areas and to obstetrics, the University of Calgary residency training program was not successful in recruiting physicians to these areas. The program likely needs to re-examine the effectiveness of current approaches. If other programs are having similar difficulties recruiting graduates to obstetrics and rural practice, perhaps changes in policies should be considered.
OBJECTIF: Déterminer les raisons du choix de carrière des diplômés de médecine familiale.
TYPE D’ÉTUDE: Étude qualitative à l’aide de groupes de discussion et d’entrevues individuelles.
CONTEXTE: Université de Calgary, Alberta.
PARTICIPANTS: Dix-sept hommes et femmes de la deuxième année de résidence en médecine familiale représentant différents âges et régions d’origine, inscrits dans les groupes urbains et ruraux du sud de 2004 du programme de résidence en médecine familiale de l’université de Calgary.
MÉTHODE: Durant le dernier mois de formation, on a tenu 2 groupes de discussion pour déterminer le choix de carrière des étudiants et les raisons de ce choix. Une fois les données des séances analysées, on a rédigé un questionnaire pour ensuite l’administrer aux participants au cours d’entrevues téléphoniques individuelles.
PRINCIPALES OBSERVATIONS: La plupart des résidents avaient l’intention de faire de la suppléance urbaine initialement pour acquérir de l’expérience. À long terme, ils voulaient ouvrir un bureau en milieu urbain en raison du mode de vie et pour des considérations d’ordre familial. Plusieurs participants du groupe rural ne prévoyaient pas à long terme établir leur pratique en région rurale. La plupart des résidents se sentaient préparés pour pratiquer, mais plusieurs suggéraient qu’une troisième année optionnelle ou un entraînement rémunéré avec emphase sur la médecine d’urgence, l’obstétrique et la pédiatrie serait souhaitable. Les raisons invoquées pour ne pas pratiquer en région rurale avaient rapport à la charge de travail, au mode de vie, aux obligations familiales et au manque perçu de support médical dans la communauté. Seulement 4 femmes et un homme diplômés avaient l’intention de faire de l’obstétrique, la raison principale étant l’insuffisance de formation en obstétrique durant la résidence. L’aspect financier était cité comme une raison secondaire pour plusieurs choix, mais en réalité, il pourrait être plus important qu’il ne semble.
CONCLUSION: Malgré son intention de recruter des diplômés de médecine familiale pour les régions rurales et pour l’obstétrique, le programme de résidence en médecine familiale de l’Université de Calgary n’a pas réussi à recruter des médecins pour ces domaines. Le programme devra sans doute réévaluer l’efficacité des façons de faire actuelles. Si d’autres programmes éprouvent des difficultés de recrutement semblables, on devra peut-être envisager des changements de politique.
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