Practice Predictors of Graduates of a College of Medicine with a Rural Primary Care Mission

The purpose of this study was to examine the practicing characteristics of graduates of a college of medicine with a rural primary care mission, including influences on graduates' specialty choices and practice locations. Secondary data analyses were conducted on student records and AMA Physician Masterfile data. Fewer graduates were practicing primary care than had entered primary care training. Graduates who attended internal medicine residency training were less likely to be practicing primary care medicine than those who attended other primary care programs. Women and rural track graduates were significantly more likely to practice primary care than were men and generalist track graduates, respectively. Primary care physicians (PCPs) were practicing in more rural locales than non-PCPs. Family physicians tended to practice in the most rural locales. FMDRL_ID: 4822