Skip to main content
Key Specialties
Cardiology Diabetology Endocrinology Gastroenterology Geriatrics and Gerontology Gynecology and Obstetrics Hematology Infectious Disease Internal Medicine Nephrology Neurology Oncology Pediatrics Respiratory Medicine Rheumatology Surgery
Congress Coverage
2024 ACC Congress 2023 ESMO Congress 2023 EASD Congress 2023 ERS Congress 2023 ESC Congress
Clinical Collections
Advances in Alzheimer’s

At a glance: The STEP trials

A round-up of the STEP phase 3 clinical trials evaluating semaglutide for weight loss in people with overweight or obesity.
ADVANCED SEARCH
Log in
Top
Asia Pacific Family Medicine
Published in: Asia Pacific Family Medicine 1/2015

Open Access 01-12-2015 | Short report

The impact of an early_exposure program on medical students’ interest in and knowledge of rural medical practices: a questionnaire survey

Authors: Naoto Ishimaru, Ayumi Takayashiki, Takami Maeno, Yurika Kawamura, Hiroshi Kurihara, Tetsuhiro Maeno

Published in: Asia Pacific Family Medicine | Issue 1/2015

Login to get access

Abstract

Background

Many medical students in Japan were brought up in urban areas, thus rural medical practice is often unfamiliar to them. The University of Tsukuba created a one-day early_exposure program to provide freshman students with experience in rural practices. This study was designed to clarify how this one-day early_exposure program affected medical students’ attitudes toward and knowledge of rural practices.

Findings

First-year medical students (n = 103) were assigned to one of seven rural clinics in which they experienced rural practice for one day. A pre- and post-program questionnaire, rated on a 5-point Likert scale, was administered to assess students’ interest in and knowledge of rural medical practice, with higher scores indicating greater interest and knowledge. Respondents who gave answers of 4 or 5 were defined as having high interest and knowledge. One hundred and one (98.1%) responses were received from students. After the program, the percentage of students interested in rural medical practices was increased (pre- and post-program: 39.0% and 61.0%, respectively; P < .001), as was the number of students who wanted to become physicians in a rural medical practice (pre- and post-program: 53.0% and 73.0%, respectively; P < .01).

Conclusions

Our one-day early_exposure program demonstrated a positive impact on medical students’ interest in and knowledge of rural medical practice. Further follow-up surveys are needed to clarify whether these effects are sustained long-term.
Literature
1.
Kobayashi Y, Takaki H. Geographic distribution of physicians in Japan. Lancet. 1992;340(8832):1391–3.CrossRefPubMed
2.
Rivo ML, Kindig DA. A report card on the physician work force in the United States. N Engl J Med. 1996;334(14):892–6.CrossRefPubMed
3.
Matsumoto M, Inoue K, Kajii E. Policy implications of a financial incentive programme to retain a physician workforce in underserved Japanese rural areas. Soc Sci Med. 2010;71(4):667–71.CrossRefPubMed
4.
Community-based education of health personnel. Report of a WHO study group. World Health Organ Tech Rep Ser. 1987;746:1–89.
5.
Dornan T, Littlewood S, Margolis SA, Scherpbier A, Spencer J, Ypinazar V. How can experience in clinical and community settings contribute to early medical education? A BEME systematic review. Med Teach. 2006;28(1):3–18.CrossRefPubMed
6.
AMWAC. Doctors in vocational training: rural background and rural practice intentions. Aust J Rural Health. 2005;13(1):14–20.CrossRef
7.
Hughes S, Zweifler J, Schafer S, Smith MA, Athwal S, Blossom HJ. High school census tract information predicts practice in rural and minority communities. J Rural Health. 2005;21(3):228–32.CrossRefPubMed
8.
Takayashiki A, Inoue K, Okayama M, Nakamura Y, Matsumoto M, Otaki J, et al. Primary care education in Japan: is it enough to increase student interest in a career in primary care? Educ Primary Care. 2007;18(2):156–64.
9.
Tolhurst HM, Adams J, Stewart SM. An exploration of when urban background medical students become interested in rural practice. Rural Remote Health. 2006;6(1):452.PubMed
10.
Strasser R, Hogenbirk JC, Lewenberg M, Story M, Kevat A. Starting rural, staying rural: how can we strengthen the pathway from rural upbringing to rural practice? Aust J Rural Health. 2010;18(6):242–8.CrossRefPubMed
11.
University ECoC-ihiJM. Chiiki-iryou hakusyo (the white paper on community health care). 2nd ed. Tochigi, Japan: Jichi Medical University; 2007.
12.
13.
Barley G, O’Brien-Gonzales A, Hughes E. What did we learn about the impact on students’ clinical education? Acad Med. 2001;76(4 Suppl):S68–71.CrossRefPubMed
14.
Vaz R, Gona O. Undergraduate education in rural primary health care: evaluation of a first-year field attachment programme. Med Educ. 1992;26(1):27–33.CrossRefPubMed
15.
Newbury JW, Shannon S, Ryan V, Whitrow M. Development of ‘rural week’ for medical students: impact and quality report. Rural Remote Health. 2005;5(3):432.PubMed
16.
Ranmuthugala G, Humphreys J, Solarsh B, Walters L, Worley P, Wakerman J, et al. Where is the evidence that rural exposure increases uptake of rural medical practice? Aust J Rural Health. 2007;15(5):285–8.CrossRefPubMed
17.
Talbot J, Ward A. Alternative Curricular Options in Rural Networks (ACORNS): impact of early rural clinical exposure in the University of West Australia medical course. Aust J Rural Health. 2000;8(1):17–21.CrossRefPubMed
18.
Poole P, Bagg W, O’Connor B, Dare A, McKimm J, Meredith K, et al. The Northland Regional-Rural program (Pukawakawa): broadening medical undergraduate learning in New Zealand. Rural Remote Health. 2010;10(1):1254.PubMed
19.
Jones MP, Bushnell JA, Humphreys JS. Are rural placements positively associated with rural intentions in medical graduates? Med Educ. 2014;48(4):405–16.CrossRefPubMed
20.
Donald K, James DK. Evaluating Training Programs: Four Levels. In: Berrett-Koehler San Francisco. 1994.
Metadata
Title
The impact of an early_exposure program on medical students’ interest in and knowledge of rural medical practices: a questionnaire survey
Authors
Naoto Ishimaru
Ayumi Takayashiki
Takami Maeno
Yurika Kawamura
Hiroshi Kurihara
Tetsuhiro Maeno
Publication date
01-12-2015
Publisher
BioMed Central
Published in
Asia Pacific Family Medicine / Issue 1/2015
Electronic ISSN: 1447-056X
DOI
https://doi.org/10.1186/s12930-015-0021-8

Other articles of this Issue 1/2015

Asia Pacific Family Medicine 1/2015 Go to the issue

Research

A pilot study to assess the utility and perceived effectiveness of a tool for diagnosing feeding difficulties in children

Research

Interventions for body weight reduction in obese patients during short consultations: an open-label randomized controlled trial in the Japanese primary care setting

Research

Impact of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) in the Asia-Pacific region: the EPIC Asia population-based survey

Research

Perception of hypertension management by patients and doctors in Asia: potential to improve blood pressure control

Research

Describing the factors that influence the process of making a shared-agenda in Japanese family physician consultations: a qualitative study

Case study

The cultural context of teaching and learning sexual health care examinations in Japan: a mixed methods case study assessing the use of standardized patient instructors among Japanese family physician trainees of the Shizuoka Family Medicine Program