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

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.