Abstract
BackgroundThe University of Pretoria (UP) had its first intake of Bachelor of Clinical Medical Practice (BCMP) students in 2009. The objectives of this study were to examine the trends in geographical practice intentions and preferences of the first nine cohorts of BCMP students. We also assessed sector and level of care preferences of six BCMP cohorts.MethodsCross-sectional studies were conducted 2011, 2014 and 2017. First-, second- and third-year UP BCMP students were invited to complete a electronic questionnaire. Our analyses consisted of calculating proportions for the practice intentions and preferences for each surveys, and performing multiple logistic regression on the aggregated date to determine their associations with sociodemographic and training characteristics.ResultsThe proportion of participants intending to practise as a clinical associate in a rural area in South Africa directly after graduating was 62.5% in the 2014 survey and 69.7% in the 2017 survey, compared to 59.6% in the 2011 survey. The majority in all three surveys (53.4% in 2011, 56.6% in 2014 and 59.8% in 2017) indicated a preference for rural practice. Both rural practice intention and rural practice preference were found to be significantly associated with respondent’s self-description of having lived most of her/his life in a rural area, and rural district hospital exposure during training. In 2014 and 2017, approximately two-thirds of the participants selected a public sector option as their most preferred work setting. District hospitals were the most preferred setting of 30.3% participants in 2014 and 32.0% in 2017.ConclusionMost participants across the three surveys intended to work in rural settings. Considering that this could provide a sustainable solution to the shortage of health care workforce in rural areas, policy makers in both higher education and health need to promote and ensure the viability of the training of this category of health care providers.
Highlights
Clinical associates are mid-level medical workers who have completed a 3-year Bachelor of Clinical Medical Practice (BCMP) degree.[1]
The proportion of registered third-year BCMP students who participated was greater than 70%
The proportion of BCMP students intending to practice as clinical associates in a rural area in South Africa was found to be substantial in our 2011 survey at approximately 60%
Summary
Clinical associates are mid-level medical workers who have completed a 3-year Bachelor of Clinical Medical Practice (BCMP) degree.[1]. The University of Pretoria (UP) conducted its first intake of BCMP students in 2009. A survey conducted in 2011 amongst the first three cohorts to enter the BCMP programme at UP found that 59.6% of the participants intended to practise in a rural area following graduation.[3] As a number of reasons may contribute to intention (e.g. bursary obligations), the students were asked about their preference.[3] The preference for working in a rural area was only marginally lower at 53.4%.3 https://www.safpj.co.za. The University of Pretoria (UP) had its first intake of Bachelor of Clinical Medical Practice (BCMP) students in 2009. The objectives of this study were to examine the trends in geographical practice intentions and preferences of the first nine cohorts of BCMP students. We assessed sector and level of care preferences of six BCMP cohorts
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