Where do they come from and where do they go: implications of geographic origins of medical students

Can prior places of residence listed on a medical school application predict where a physician will practice in midcareer? Geographic data were analyzed for a cohort of 399 graduates from a single U.S. medical school. Applicants with origins in the local region had a 40.4% to 49.5% probability of pr...

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Bibliographic Details
Published inAcademic medicine Vol. 85; no. 10 Suppl; p. S17
Main Authors Pretorius, Richard W, Lichter, Michael I, Okazaki, Goroh, Sellick, Jr, John A
Format Journal Article
LanguageEnglish
Published United States 01.10.2010
Subjects
Adolescent
Adult
Chi-Square Distribution
Choice Behavior
Female
Humans
Internship and Residency
Logistic Models
Male
Middle Aged
New York
Professional Practice Location
Residence Characteristics
Retrospective Studies
Students, Medical
New York
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Summary:Can prior places of residence listed on a medical school application predict where a physician will practice in midcareer? Geographic data were analyzed for a cohort of 399 graduates from a single U.S. medical school. Applicants with origins in the local region had a 40.4% to 49.5% probability of practicing locally in midcareer--an increased likelihood of 6.1 to 7.3 (P < .001) by bivariate analysis. In a logistic regression analysis, residence at birth (odds ratio [OR] = 2.6, P = .019) and at college graduation (OR = 2.8, P = .001) were significant predictors of midcareer practice location, but residence at high school graduation and on application to medical school were not. Midcareer practice location is related to geographic origins. Using multiple indicators of geographic origins available at the time of application can allow admissions committees to make higher-quality decisions.
ISSN:1938-808X
DOI:10.1097/ACM.0b013e3181ed3e78