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“Limitations of Life:” A Mixed Methods Survey Exploring Osteopathic Medical Students’ Perspectives on Reasons Preventing them from Practicing In Rural Communities

Journal: Journal of Osteopathic Medicine Date: 2024/12, 124(12):Pages: A128. doi: Subito , type of study: mixed methods study

Full text    (https://www.degruyter.com/document/doi/10.1515/jom-2024-2000/html)

Keywords:

attitude [164]
medical students [647]
mixed method study [100]
osteopathic medicine [2025]
rural healthcare [24]
USA [1656]

Abstract:

Context: Although there is a significant physician shortage in rural communities with equally significant efforts to recruit physicians to fill the gaps1,2, the disparity continues to exist. The lack of physicians thus limits healthcare access, further contributing to health disparities and unequal healthcare outcomes. Objective: The purpose of this study was to examine and identify potential factors that either contribute to or prevent students from practicing medicine in rural communities. Methods: This mixed-methods study utilized an online cross-sectional survey containing both multiple choice and open-ended questions that was administered to over 700 osteopathic medical students, faculty, and staff at an osteopathic medical school in the southeastern United States. Participants were recruited both online through school-wide emails and social media as well as in person via posters and in-person school events on campus. Participants gave written informed consent prior to taking the survey, and all responses were anonymized. Open-ended response questions were analyzed for themes, while multiple choice questions were analyzed using chi-square tests. The osteopathic significance of this study is that it specifically asks osteopathic medical students about factors that would either encourage or prohibit them from pursuing clinical practice in rural communities. Results: There was a statistically significant relationship between students’ geographic backgrounds and their future geographic preference for their career (p Conclusion: As other studies have noted3, osteopathic medical students’ geographic backgrounds may play a significant role in where they choose to practice medicine. This study has several limitations, such as it not reaching full saturation with its themes, its inability to elicit follow-up questions and/or gauge if students’ perceptions on rural communities changed after starting their clinical rotations. Our findings suggest potential future avenues for research and recruitment ranging from more in-depth qualitative approaches to a more longitudinal study analyzing how students’ perspectives might change in their clinical years.


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