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Impact of the rural pipeline in medical education: practice locations of recently graduated family physicians in Ontario.

Impact of the rural pipeline in medical education: practice locations of recently graduated family physicians in Ontario.

  • April 9, 2017
  • Elizabeth F. Wenghofer, John C. Hogenbirk & Patrick E. Timony
  • Article

The “rural pipeline” concept suggests that medical students trained in underserved areas are more likely to practice there. The Northern Ontario School of Medicine (NOSM) was founded on this principle. This study analyzed whether NOSM graduates are more likely to practice in rural and northern Ontario compared to graduates from other Canadian medical schools. Using data from the College of Physicians and Surgeons of Ontario, results showed that over two-thirds of physicians with NOSM education practiced in northern areas, and 25.4% in rural areas, compared to significantly lower rates among non-NOSM graduates. NOSM undergraduate (UG) education was linked to rural practice (OR = 2.57, p = 0.014), while NOSM postgraduate (PG) training strongly predicted northern practice (OR = 57.88, p < 0.001). These findings confirm NOSM’s impact on addressing physician shortages in underserved regions.

  • Source: Human Resources for Health

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