Influence of hometown on family physicians' choice to practice in rural settings.

Objective: This study examines the influence of a physician's hometown location on the choice of practice location, adjusting for confounding variables.

Methods: Medical school records for 2,487 Indiana University graduates (classes of 1988--1997) were matched to the American Medical Association's Masterfile data to identify the graduates' current practice locations and specialties. Urban influence codes were assigned to each county in Indiana for the purposes of defining metro or nonmetro locations.