A Comparison of Rural and Academic Training Environments for Third-Year Medical Students on a Family Medicine Rotation

Abstract

Background and Objectives: Medical students have been training in rural environments for many years. However, there is sparse research demonstrating that training in a rural environment provides an equivalent learning experience to training in an academic medical setting. This study addresses that gap by comparing student performance after training in rural or community environment versus an academic setting while completing the family medicine clerkship. Methods: Participants in this retrospective cohort study were students who completed an 8-week family medicine third-year clerkship between 2013 and 2016. Half spent the first 4 weeks in a rural or community setting while the other half were in an academic setting. These placements were reversed after midterm exams. Data were collected from both student academic files and from rural rotation tracking systems at two time points: midterm and following the 8-week rotation. Results: Results from our sample of 159 medical students (89 [56.0%] male and 70 [44.0%] female) revealed no statistically significant differences in students’ midterm (P=.63) and final scores (P=.74) based on training locations. Conclusions: Study findings suggest that rural and academic clerkships provide equivalent levels of knowledge for family medicine students. This finding has particular relevance for students whose intent is to practice in a rural location. Additional research is needed to identify if these findings are generalizable to other medical schools and locations.