Session Information
22 SES 05 A, Inclusion and Diversity in Higher Education Settings
Paper Session
Contribution
Topic
The demographic composition of students in medical programmes are mostly characterised by coming from more privileged groups, mostly the majority group in the society who are better off socioeconomically and tend to live in the big cities. On the other hand, the need for qualified doctors in rural and remote areas is greater than in the big urban centres. Moreover the need for qualified doctors in rural areas is greater in some specialities such as General Practice, Obstetrics and gynaecology etc. This study aimed to identify the impact of student demographic characteristics on their career intentions upon the commencement of their study at the medical programme.
Objectives
The objective of this study was to determine whether a relationship exists between secondary school socioeconomic rating, the size of the town of origin of medical students and their subsequent medical career intentions.
Theoretical background
Some of the most important decisions in the shaping of the future medical workforce relate to the selection of medical students. There is a social obligation on universities to facilitate the development of a wide range of medical practitioners to meet the health needs of the population. The literature suggests that it is likely that medical graduates from diverse backgrounds would address priority areas of need and result in the range of doctors needed( 1–3) Diversification also allows equity of access for minority groups. In New Zealand, for around 40 years, Maori (indigenous New Zealanders) and Pacific Islands medical student admission schemes have been in place to redress the lack of minority representation within the medical workforce and about 20% of the current body of students in the Auckland medical programme are of that origin. Over the past six years the University of Auckland has also offered places to 20 students of rural origin. Evidence suggests these students would be more likely to return to practise in rural settings (4,5). Similar initiatives have put in place in the UK to give students from lower socioeconomic backgrounds the opportunity to become doctors (6). Nonetheless, only few studies have reported on the career pathways and choices of individuals from low socioeconomic communities and none in New Zealand, hence the need for such a research is critical, particularly given the cost of any intervention aiming to improve the diversification of the medical student body.
Hypothesis
The study’s hypothesis was that students from low socioeconomic rated schools and/or a rural origin were more likely to signal an interest in general practice and other specialty areas more amenable to practice in rural locales.
Method
Expected Outcomes
References
1. Angel CV, Johnson A. Broadening access to undergraduate medical education. BMJ. 2000;321:1136–8. 2. Lakhan SE. Diversification of U.S. medical schools via affirma¬tive action implementation. BMC Med Educ. 2003;3:6. 3. Komaromy M, Grumbach K, Drake M. The role of Black and Hispanic physicians in providing health care for underserved populations. New Engl J Med. 1997;4:1305–1310. 4. Easterbrook M, Godwin M, Wilson R, Hodgetts G et al. Rural background and clinical rotations during medical training: effect on practice location. CMAJ. 1999;160:1159–63. 5. Hsueh W, Wilkinson T, Bills J. What evidence-based under¬graduate interventions promote rural health? NZ Med J. 2004;117(1204):U1117. 6. Garlick PB, Brown G. Widening participation in medicine. BMJ. 2008;336:1111–1113.
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