Factors influencing preferred career choice by urban versus rural background of students
| FACTORS | URBAN BACKGROUND STUDENTS | RURAL BACKGROUND STUDENTS | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| FAMILY MEDICINE, N (%) (N = 42) | OTHER SPECIALTY, N (%) (N = 153) | PVALUE | FAMILY MEDICINE, N (%) (N = 37) | OTHER SPECIALTY, N (%) (N = 48) | PVALUE | |
| Emphasis on continuity of care | 37 (88.1) | 71 (46.4) | < .001 | 32 (86.5) | 20 (41.7) | < .001 |
| Length of residency | 30 (71.4) | 36 (23.5) | < .001 | 28 (75.7) | 16 (33.3) | < .001 |
| Influence of family, friends, or community | 30 (71.4) | 78 (51.0) | .018 | 23 (62.2) | 23 (47.9) | .191 |
| Positive experience with clinician or teacher of the specialty | 32 (76.2) | 117 (76.5) | .970 | 20 (54.1) | 36 (75.0) | .043 |
| Opportunity to work on highly challenging cases | 21 (50.0) | 116 (75.8) | .001 | 21 (56.8) | 40 (83.3) | .007 |
| Preference for working in a rural community | 8 (19.0) | 9 (5.9) | .007 | 25 (67.6) | 13 (27.1) | < .001 |
| Emphasis on procedural skills | 17 (40.5) | 103 (67.3) | .002 | 16 (43.2) | 33 (68.8) | .018 |
| Income | 20 (47.6) | 91 (59.5) | .169 | 12 (32.4) | 26 (54.2) | .046 |
| Preference for working in an urban centre | 22 (52.4) | 117 (76.5) | .002 | 6 (16.2) | 22 (45.8) | .004 |
| Opportunity for research | 4 (9.5) | 46 (30.1) | .007 | 6 (16.2) | 16 (33.3) | .074 |
| Master a small set of skills | 7 (16.7) | 85 (55.6) | < .001 | 2 (5.4) | 25 (52.1) | < .001 |
| Prestige | 5 (11.9) | 49 (32.0) | .010 | 3 (8.1) | 9 (18.8) | .162 |
| Opportunity to deal with a variety of medical problems | 40 (95.2) | 127 (83.0) | .045 | 35 (94.6) | 42 (87.5) | .267 |
| Current debt load | 10 (23.8) | 17 (11.1) | .036 | 6 (16.2) | 6 (12.5) | .626 |