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The Impact of a Core Rural Rotation on Obstetrics and Gynecology Resident Future Career Choices
Purpose: Increased exposure of obstetrics and gynecology (OBGYN) residents to rural experiences during their training may increase their interest and potentially lead them to choose a rural practice after graduation.
Background: From 2009 to 2016, the University of Hawaii established an OBGYN rotation on the island of Maui supervised by non-paid faculty. 41 residents rotated on Maui. 4 (9.8%) chose to practice on Maui and none of had prior ties to the area. No residents have chosen to practice in a rural setting since the conclusion of the Maui rotation. This lead to an effort to design a more sustainable rural rotation.
Methods: A university OBGYN faculty practice was established in Hilo then between July 2019 and June 2020, an OBGYN resident rotation was created in Hilo. The rotation was temporarily suspended from March to May 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic and the resultant interisland air travel restrictions. Residents who completed the rotation were surveyed at the end of the year. Descriptive statistics were used to analyze the data.
Results: 9 residents completed the rotation and all 9 completed the survey. Overall 8 (78.9%) felt that the rotation exceeded their expectations. After the rotation, 7 (77.8%) had interest in practicing in a rural community compared to only 3 (33.3%) having had interest prior to completing the rotation.
Discussions: A rural rotation increases resident interest in practicing in rural areas and also data suggests that residents are more inclined to choose rural practice after graduation. Programs should consider including rural experiences in their rotation schedule.
Topics:
CREOG & APGO Annual Meeting, 2021, Student, Resident, Faculty, Residency Director, Residency Coordinator, Patient Care, Systems-Based Practice & Improvement, GME, General Ob-Gyn,
