Compulsory medical rural placements: senior student opinions of early-year experiential learning.

Objective: The aim of this study was to determine senior medical student (year 3-5) opinions of their early-year (year 1-2) rural placement.

Design: We assessed the impact of MBBS early-year rural placements through a follow up of this cohort in their later years using a cross-sectional questionnaire.

Setting: The questionnaire was administered to year 3-5 medical students at their clinical school.

Participants: There were 97 participants (49% response rate) in the study. Twenty-nine per cent were male and 71% were female; 44% were from a rural background and 56% were from a metropolitan background; 48% were year 3 students, 32% were year 4 students and 20% were year 5 students; and 59% of the students were, at the time, situated at a rural clinical school and 41% were at a metropolitan clinical school.

Main Outcome Measure: Closed-ended questions were quantified and statistically analysed. Open-ended responses were thematically analysed to determine what their experience of early-year rural placements were like.

Results: Seventy-nine per cent of students considered the year 1 placement length as 'about right'. Overall, most students found year 1 rural placements positive and grasped the placement aims and objectives. Most students were also pleased with year 2 rural placements, mainly due to the clinical aspects.

Conclusions: Medical students appear to prefer shorter early-year rural placements and understand the benefits and importance of such placements. They also have a desire for greater clinical exposure during these early-year placements.