Retention of rural family physicians after 20-25 years: outcomes of a comprehensive medical school rural program.

Background: The Physician Shortage Area Program (PSAP) of Jefferson Medical College (JMC) is one of a small number of comprehensive medical school rural programs that has been successful in increasing the supply of family physicians practicing in rural areas. Although retention is a critical component of the rural physician supply, published long-term outcomes are limited.

Methods: Of the 1937 JMC graduates from the classes of 1978 to 1986, we identified those who were practicing family medicine in a rural county when they were first located in practice (in 1986 for 1978-1981 graduates and in 1991 for 1982-1986 graduates).

The relationship between matriculating medical students' planned specialties and eventual rural practice outcomes.

Purpose: To analyze the previously unknown relationships between the specialty plans of entering medical students and their eventual rural practice outcomes.

Method: For 5,419 graduates from the 1978-2002 classes of Jefferson Medical College, their self-reported specialty plans at the time of matriculation were obtained from the Jefferson Longitudinal Study, as were their 2007 practice locations. Specialty plans were grouped into 12 categories, and the percentages of graduates initially planning each specialty group who were actually practicing in rural areas were determined.

The relationship between entering medical students' backgrounds and career plans and their rural practice outcomes three decades later.

Purpose: Although many studies have investigated predictors of physician practice in rural areas, few have accounted for the importance of physicians' backgrounds. This study analyzed the relationship between the backgrounds and future career plans of entering medical students and their rural practice outcomes.

Method: For 1,111 graduates from Jefferson Medical College (JMC, classes of 1978-1982), three factors self-reported at matriculation and previously related to rural practice were obtained from the Jefferson Longitudinal Study of Medical Education: growing up rural, planning rural practice, and planning family medicine.

Increasing the supply of women physicians in rural areas: outcomes of a medical school rural program.

Background: Women physicians are less likely then men to practice in rural areas. With women representing an increasing proportion of physicians, there is concern that this could exacerbate the rural physician shortage. The Physician Shortage Area Program (PSAP) of Jefferson Medical College (JMC) is one of a small number of medical school rural programs shown to be successful in addressing the rural physician shortage; however, little is known about their specific impact on women.

Family factors in end-of-life decision-making: family conflict and proxy relationship.

Background: Few studies have examined proxy decision-making regarding end-of-life treatment decisions. Proxy accuracy is defined as whether proxy treatment choices are consistent with the expressed wishes of their index elder. The purpose of this study was to examine proxy accuracy in relation to two family factors that may influence proxy accuracy: perceived family conflict and type of elder-proxy relationship.

Moving from street to home: health status of entrants to a housing first program.

Housing First (HF) is an evidence-based practice that ends chronic homelessness for individuals with serious mental illness by providing immediate access to permanent independent housing and team-based community supports. Little is known about the health status of homeless individuals entering HF programs. Through a cross-sectional analysis, this paper reports on the chronic physical disease burden of people entering a newly established HF program and examines whether these individuals recognize and request support for ongoing health-related issues.

Increasing the supply of rural family physicians: recent outcomes from Jefferson Medical College's Physician Shortage Area Program (PSAP).

Purpose: The shortage of primary care physicians in rural areas is an enduring problem with serious implications for access to care. Although studies have previously shown that medical school rural programs-such as Jefferson Medical College's Physician Shortage Area Program (PSAP)-significantly increase the rural workforce, determining whether these programs continue to be successful is important.

Method: The authors obtained, from the Jefferson Longitudinal Study, the 2007 practice location and specialty for the 2,394 PSAP and non-PSAP graduates of 11 previously unreported Jefferson graduating classes (1992-2002).