Cross-sectional United Kingdom surveys demonstrate that owners and veterinary professionals differ in their perceptions of preventive and treatment healthcare needs in ageing dogs.

Perceptions of dog owners and veterinary professionals (surgeons/nurses) can influence the preventive healthcare and treatment provided to dogs, especially at the senior life-stage, when chronic diseases become more common. This study compared perceptions of healthcare of dogs as they age between dog owners and veterinary professionals. Data from two online surveys (owners:  = 633, veterinary professionals:  = 305) examined perceived need for veterinary visits and vaccinations.

Predicting Rural Practice and Service to Indigent Patients: Survey of Dental Students Before and After Rural Community Rotations.

Community-based clinical rotations in rural areas expose dental students to diverse patient populations, practice models, and career opportunities as well as rural culture. The aims of this study at West Virginia University were to determine the best predictors of rural practice, assess the predictive validity of students' intention to practice in a rural area before and after their rural rotations, and evaluate the relationship between students' intention to practice in a rural area and intention to provide care for indigent patients. Online survey data were submitted pre- and post-rural clinical rotation by 432 of 489 dental students over the study period 2001-12, yielding an 88% response rate.

Validity of Medical Student Questionnaire Data in Prediction of Rural Practice Choice and Its Association With Service Orientation.

Purpose: The validity of medical student projection of, and predictors for, rural practice and the association of a measure of service orientation, projected practice accessibility to the indigent, were investigated.

Methods: West Virginia (WV) medical student online pre- and postrural rotation questionnaire data were collected during the time period 2001-2009. Of the 1,517 respondent students, submissions by 1,271 met the time interval criterion for inclusion in analyses.

A study of predictive validity of physician assistant students' reported practice site intent.

Purpose: With the downward trend in numbers of primary care physicians, it is anticipated that mid-level providers will increasingly fill the resulting void in rural health care. Recruitment of health care providers into rural areas has been historically difficult, and West Virginia has been at the forefront of developing programs to address rural recruitment. One of these programs is the West Virginia Rural Health Education Partnership, which provides rural clinical rotation opportunities for students from multiple disciplines and schools in West Virginia.

Evaluation of a required statewide interdisciplinary rural health education program: student attitudes, career intents and perceived quality.

Introduction: A shortage of healthcare providers in West Virginia led to the creation of a statewide, community-based program with a required three-month rural experience for most state-sponsored health professions students. Project description: Initiated using funding from the W. K.

A comparative assessment of West Virginia's financial incentive programs for rural physicians.

Context: Financial incentive programs are increasingly being used as a strategy to recruit physicians to underserved rural areas. Critical evaluation of state-supported programs is often lacking but is necessary to determine their efficacy and to improve outcomes.

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to assess 4 service-contingent programs in West Virginia, a state with critical physician shortages.