Factors associated with the entry to general practice training: A multicentre study

Abstract

Background

Despite recent studies regarding general practice (GP) career decision-making, the impact of primary care exposure during undergraduate study on career-decision-making remain unclear.

Purpose

To examine the association between primary care exposure with the entry to GP training.

Methods

An unmatched case–control study design was employed. A total of 130 trainees in GP training and 260 trainees in other speciality training were randomly selected from speciality training registration. Questionnaires were used to identify primary care exposure and factors associated with career-decision making. Odds ratios (OR) and logistic regression were used to examine the association between the entry to GP training and those factors.

Results

The response rate was 66.4%. Three variables were found associated with entering GP training, including timetabled primary care sessions in all three clinical years (adjusted OR = 2.91; 95% CI = 1.23 − 6.88), enrolling in rural medical student recruitment schemes (adjusted OR = 3.07; 95% CI = 1.05 − 8.99) and valuing core values of GP (adjusted OR = 8.46; 95% CI = 3.27 − 21.88).

Conclusion

Our findings suggest that timetabled primary care sessions in all three clinical years has a positive influence on entering GP training. This research extends our knowledge of primary care exposure regarding continuity of the exposure.

Keywords:

• Career-decision making
• medical education
• primary care
• general practice placement
• postgraduate training

Acknowledgments

The authors wish to thank all the associate deans for faculty affairs of the medical schools who provided medical curricula. We are also grateful to Praelada Wongsirimeteekul, Chanakarn Chitanakul and Pornnapat Laksanapiya for providing collaboration towards the study.

Disclosure statement

The authors report no conflicts of interest. The authors alone are responsible for the content and writing of the article.

Glossary

Special rural medical student recruitment programmes for increasing rural physicians and rural retention, namely

1. Collaborative Project to Increase Production of Rural Doctor programme (CPIRD), and

2. One District One Doctor programme (ODOD)

Data availability statement

The data from this research project are available upon reasonable request.

Additional information

Funding

This work was supported by the Faculty of Medicine, Khon Kaen University under Grant IN62226.

Notes on contributors

Poompong Sripa

Poompong Sripa, MD, is a third-year family medicine resident at Family Medicine Unit, Department of Community Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, Khon Kaen University, Thailand.

Isaraporn Thepwongsa

Isaraporn Thepwongsa, MD, PhD, is an assistant professor at Family Medicine Unit, Department of Community Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, Khon Kaen University, Thailand.

Radhakrishnan Muthukumar

Radhakrishnan Muthukumar, MBBS, PhD, is a lecturer at Academic Affairs, Faculty of Medicine, Khon Kaen University, Thailand.