The Relationship between Religion, Spirituality, Psychological Well-Being, Psychological Resilience, Life Satisfaction of Medical Students in the Gaziantep, Turkey.

Religion and spirituality have been associated with better psychological health. The present study aims to investigate the relationship between the psychological well-being, psychological resilience, life satisfaction and religion/spirituality. An online cross-sectional study was conducted at the Gaziantep University School of Medicine, Turkey. The data were collected by using Personal Information Form, Individual Religion Inventory (IRI), Psychological Wellbeing Scale (PWBS), Brief Psychological Resilience Scale (BPRS), and Satisfaction with Life Scale (SWLS). A total of 399 students participated in the study, 84% of them stated that they were Muslim. The perception of good psychological health was significantly higher among Muslims (32.7%) than non-Muslims (14.3%) (p = 0.013). The PWBS, BPRS, SWLS scores were significantly higher in those who attached very importance to religious/spiritual practices compared to those who attached little importance. While PWBS scores and BPRS scores did not differ, the SWLS scores was significantly higher in Muslims compared with the non-Muslims. A positive correlation was found between the IRI scores and PWBS (r = 0.446 p < 0.001), BPRS (r = 0.252 p < 0.001), and SWLS scores (r = 0.450 p < 0.001) for Muslim participants. The study showed that giving importance to religious/spiritual practices is associated with better psychological health.

Medical School Rankings-Bad for the Health of the Profession and the Public.

This Viewpoint discusses the limitations of medical school ranking in attracting a diverse student population and urges administrators to holistically communicate their mission, goals, and learning environment as an alternative strategy.

Knowledge, attitude, perceived effectiveness and self-practice of complementary and alternative medicine: a cross-sectional comparison between medical and non-medical students of Bangladesh.

BACKGROUND: Bangladesh's population commonly utilizes Complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) to treat their health issues. Despite the increasing interest in CAM, it has been excluded from conventional medical training in Bangladesh for many years. Therefore, this study assessed and compared the knowledge level, attitude, perceived effectiveness, and self-practice of CAM among undergraduate students of Bangladesh. METHODS: This cross-sectional group comparison study was conducted among undergraduate (both medical and non-medical) students of Bangladesh between November and December 2021. Data was collected using a self-reported pretested semi-structured online questionnaire. The questionnaire contained questions regarding background information, knowledge regarding CAM, source of CAM knowledge, attitude towards CAM, interest in attaining CAM knowledge, perceived effectiveness of CAM, perceived adverse effects of CAM, self-practice of CAM, and whether would they refer CAM to others. A total of 576 students responded and the data gathered allowed for the following: (1) an overview of the study groups, (2) respondents' general perception and knowledge regarding CAM, and (3) a comparison of respondents' CAM knowledge, general perception, and usage by area of study. Data were analyzed using STATA (v.16) and descriptive statistics, Pearson's chi-square test, and Mann-Whitney U test were performed. RESULTS: A total of 329 medical students and 247 non-medical students participated in the study. The mean age of the participants was 21.57 ± 1.8 years and 56.2% of them were male. The most known CAM among medical (M) students was homeopathy (44.6%) and among non-medical (NM) students were herbal medicine (45.7%). Non-medical students had significantly better knowledge about nine out of twelve CAM modalities included in the study, and no significant differences were present for the rest of the modalities. Medical (81.1%) and non-medical students (86.2%) perceived traditional Chinese medicine and homeopathy to be the most effective respectively. "Incorporating CAM with conventional medicine would result in increased patient satisfaction" showed the most statistically significant (p = 0.0002) difference among both groups. Yoga was the most often practiced modality among medical students and homeopathy among non-medical students. CONCLUSION: Medical students have a lacking of knowledge and a positive attitude towards CAM, despite its very common practice among the people of Bangladesh. Therefore, emphasis should be put on the inclusion of CAM modules in medical training.

Factors Associated with Acceptance of Repeat MCAT Test Takers into a West Virginian Allopathic Medical School.

OBJECTIVES: A paucity of information exists to advise medical school applicants who have had to retake the Medical College Admission Test (MCAT) to achieve a competitive score. To better advise repeat test takers from West Virginia and other Appalachian and southern areas, MCAT data from West Virginia applicants were analyzed and compared with national data. METHODS: In the application cycles of 2017-2020, the following factors were analyzed in relation to medical school acceptance in West Virginia applicants: MCAT scores, the number of test-taking attempts, biology-chemistry-physics-math grade point average, time between test-taking attempts, and academic major. MCAT data from medical school applicants from West Virginia who took the test more than once also were compared with national data. RESULTS: Of the total repeat test takers from West Virginia (N = 285) in the study timeframe, 57 (20%) were ultimately accepted into medical school. Factors associated with medical school acceptance were as follows: first MCAT test score (odds ratio [OR] 1.3, 95% confidence level [CL] 1.2-1.4, P < 0.001), change in MCAT test score (OR 1.2, 95% CL 1.1-1.3, P = 0.0015), and biology-chemistry-physics-math grade point average (OR 15.1, 95% CL 4.2-54.8, P < 0.0001). The highest benefit for improved scores occurred between the first and second attempts. The highest point gain occurred when the first MCAT score was in the range of 477 to 487 (<1st-12th percentile); this finding was not found in the national data. CONCLUSIONS: Although the study was limited to West Virginia medical school applicants, this information could prove useful in advising premedical applicants from other Appalachian and southern US areas.

Relationship between mindfulness, stress, and performance in medical students in pediatric emergency simulations.

Objectives: Pediatric teams of emergency departments work under extreme stress, which affects high-level cognitive functions, specifically attention and memory. Therefore, the methods of stress management are being sought. Mindfulness as a process of intentionally paying attention to each moment with acceptance of each experience without judgment can potentially contribute to improving the performance of medical teams. Medical simulation is a technique that creates a situation to allow persons to experience a representation of a real event for the purpose of education. It has been shown that emergency medicine simulation may create a high physiological fidelity environment similarly to what is observed in a real emergency room. The aim of our study was to determine whether the technical and non-technical skills of medical students in the course of pediatric high fidelity simulations are related to their mindfulness and stress. Participants and methods: A total of 166 standardized simulations were conducted among students of medicine in three simulation centers of medical universities, assessing: stress sensation (subjectively and heart rate/blood pressure), technical (checklists) and non-technical skills (Ottawa scale) and mindfulness (five facet mindfulness questionnaire): ClinicalTrials.gov ID: NCT03761355. Results: The perception of stress among students was lower and more motivating if they were more mindful. Mindfulness of students correlated positively with avoiding fixation error. In the consecutive simulations the leaders' non-technical skills improved, although no change was noted in their technical skills. Conclusion: The results of our research indicate that mindfulness influence the non-technical skills and the perception of stress of medical students during pediatric emergency simulations. Further research is needed to show whether mindfulness training leads to improvement in this field.

Examining the Educational Value of Student-Run Clinics for Health Care Students.

PURPOSE: Student-run clinics (SRCs) are increasingly recognized as an educational experience in many health professions' curricula. Several benefits have been documented, including students with SRC experience using patient-centered approaches to care, showing interest in working with marginalized populations, and more fully appreciating the care provided by interprofessional teams. Yet, few studies have explored student experiences within SRCs or examined how these experiences affect and shape these documented attitudes. This study explored the experiences of students at an SRC and the effect of these experiences on their learnings. METHOD: From November 2016 to July 2017, 23 students in the Community Health Initiative by University Students SRC at the University of British Columbia participated in 2 focus group interviews: the first after their first clinic day and the second on their final clinic day. Open- and closed-ended questions were used to explore participants' learnings from the SRC. Using a grounded theory approach, the authors iteratively analyzed the transcribed interviews, adjusting questions for subsequent focus groups as new themes evolved. Three investigators each separately coded the data; the full team then collectively consolidated the themes and developed explanatory models for each theme. RESULTS: Two themes were identified from the focus group input: (1) through managing real, complex patients-in situations unlike those offered in classroom and case-based learning environments-students gained insights into the intricacies of incorporating the patient's perspective into their definition and management of the patient's problem, and (2) by working as a team instead of focusing on delineating scopes of practice, students gained a meaningful understanding of the roles of practitioners from other health professions. CONCLUSIONS: This study provides insights into the unique opportunities SRCs offer health care students early in their training, enabling them to develop a richer understanding and appreciation of holistic and interprofessional approaches to patient care.

Switching from a traditional undergraduate programme in (clinical) pharmacology and therapeutics to a problem-based learning programme.

PURPOSE: The pharmacology and clinical pharmacology and therapeutics (CPT) education during the undergraduate medical curriculum of NOVA Medical School, Lisbon, Portugal, was changed from a traditional programme (i.e. discipline-based, lectures) to a problem-based learning (PBL) programme (i.e. integrated, case-based discussions) without an increase in teaching hours. The aim of this study was to investigate whether this change improved the prescribing competencies of final-year medical students. METHODS: Final-year students from both programmes (2015 and 2019) were invited to complete a validated prescribing assessment and questionnaire. The assessment comprised 24 multiple-choice questions in three subdomains (working mechanism, side-effects and interactions/contraindications), and five clinical case scenarios of common diseases. The questionnaire focused on self-reported prescribing confidence, preparedness for future prescribing task and education received. RESULTS: In total, 36 (22%) final-year medical students from the traditional programme and 54 (23%) from the PBL programme participated. Overall, students in the PBL programme had significantly higher knowledge scores than students in the traditional programme (76% (SD 9) vs 67% (SD 15); p = 0.002). Additionally, students in the PBL programme made significantly fewer inappropriate therapy choices (p = 0.023) and fewer erroneous prescriptions than did students in the traditional programme (p = 0.27). Students in the PBL programme felt more confident in prescribing, felt better prepared for prescribing as junior doctor and completed more drug prescriptions during their medical training. CONCLUSION: Changing from a traditional programme to an integrated PBL programme in pharmacology and CPT during the undergraduate medical curriculum may improve the prescribing competencies of final-year students.

The Prevalence and Severity of Misophonia in a UK Undergraduate Medical Student Population and Validation of the Amsterdam Misophonia Scale.

Misophonia is a condition of abnormal emotional responses to specific auditory stimuli. There is limited information available on the prevalence of this condition. This study aimed to estimate the prevalence of misophonia in an undergraduate medical student population at the University of Nottingham. A secondary aim of this study was to assess the psychometric validity of the Amsterdam Misophonia Scale (A-Miso-S) questionnaire tool in this population. The A-Miso-S was administered online to medical students at the University of Nottingham. To assess the validity of the A-Miso-S, a factor analysis was conducted. To determine prevalence and severity the results of the questionnaire were quantitatively analysed using SPSS. Actor analysis was conducted. Free text responses to one questionnaire item were analysed using a thematic approach. Responses were obtained from 336 individuals. Clinically significant misophonic symptoms appear to be common, effecting 49.1% of the sample population. This is statistically significantly higher prevalence than previous studies have found (p < 0.00001). Using the classification of the A-Miso-S, mild symptoms were seen in 37%, moderate in 12%, severe in 0.3% of participants. No extreme cases were seen. The A-Miso-S was found to be a uni-factorial tool, with good internal consistency. This study has provided new information on misophonia and validity of the A-Miso-S questionnaire in a sample population of UK undergraduate medical students. The results indicate that misophonia is a phenomenon that a significant proportion of medical students experience though only a small subset experience it severely.

The Experience of Colombian Medical Students in a Pilot Cultural Safety Training Program: A Qualitative Study Using the Most Significant Change Technique.

Problem: The Colombian government provides health services grounded in the Western biomedical model, yet 40% of the population use cultural and traditional practices to maintain their health. Adversarial interactions between physicians and patients from other cultures hinder access to quality health services and reinforce health disparities. Cultural safety is an approach to medical training that encourages practitioners to examine how their own culture shapes their clinical practice and how to respect their patients' worldviews. This approach could help bridge the cultural divide in Colombian health services, improving multicultural access to health services and reducing health disparities. Intervention: In 2016, we conducted a pilot cultural safety training program in Cota, Colombia. A five-month training program for medical students included: (a) theoretical training on cultural safety and participatory research, and (b) a community-based intervention, co-designed by community leaders, training supervisors, and the medical students, with the aim of strengthening cultural practices related to health. Evaluation used the Most Significant Change narrative approach, which allows participants to communicate the changes most meaningful to them. Using an inductive thematic analysis, the authors analyzed the stories and discussed these findings in a debriefing session with the medical students. Context: Cota is located only 15 kilometers from Bogota, the national capital and biggest city of Colombia, so the small town has gone through rapid urbanization and cultural change. A few decades ago, inhabitants of Cota were mainly peasants with Indigenous and European traditions. Urbanization displaced agriculture with industrial and commercial occupations. One consequence of this change was loss of cultural health care practices and resources, for example, medicinal plants, that the community had used for centuries. Impact: A group of 13 final-year medical students (ten female and three male, age range 20-24) participated in the study. The medical students listed four areas of change after their experience: increased respect for traditional health practices to provide better healthcare; increased recognition of traditional practices as part of their cultural heritage and identity; a desire to deepen their knowledge about cultural practices; and openness to incorporate cultural practices in healthcare. Lessons Learned: Medical students reported positive perceptions of their patients' cultural practices after participating in this community-based training program. The training preceded a positive shift in perceptions and was accepted by Colombian medical students. To the best of our knowledge, this was the first documented cultural safety training initiative with medical students in Colombia and an early attempt to apply the cultural safety approach outside the Indigenous experience.

Promoting Access of Osteopathic Medical Students to Surgical Residency Training Programs.

The COVID-19 pandemic has uncovered disparities for allopathic and osteopathic surgical applicants for the upcoming 2021 residency application cycle. It has provided an opportunity for change to the current paradigm in surgical resident selection. This study seeks to quantify the disproportionality of opportunities between allopathic and osteopathic students and provides solutions to level the playing field for all applicants.

Willingness to perform induced abortion and associated factors among graduating midwifery, medical, nursing, and public health officer students of University of Gondar, Northwest Ethiopia: institution based cross sectional study.

BACKGROUND: In developing countries, abortion is often unsafe and a significant cause of maternal morbidity and mortality accounting for about 8% (4.7-13.2%) of maternal mortality worldwide. Internationally, safe abortion services are recognized as reducing maternal mortality, and liberalized abortion laws are associated with reduced mortality resulting from unsafe abortion procedures. However, health care providers have moral, social and gender-based reservations that affects their willingness towards providing induced abortion services. The purpose of this study was to assess willingness to perform induced abortion and associated factors among graduating Midwifery, Medical, Nursing, and Public health officer students of University of Gondar. METHODS: Institution based cross sectional study was conducted from March 29 to May 30, 2019. All graduating students available during data collection period were considered as study population. Stratified simple random sampling technique was used to select 424 study participants. Pre tested, semi- structured, self-administered questionnaire was used to collect data. Data analysis was done using SPSS version 20. Ethical clearance was obtained from School of midwifery under the delegation of institutional review board of university of Gondar. RESULTS: Two hundred ninety students out of 424 students were willing to perform induced abortion for indications supported by Ethiopian abortion law, making a proportion of 68.4% (95%Cl: 64.2, 72.9). Sex (Being male (AOR = 4.89, 95%CI: 3.02, 7.89)), religion (being orthodox than protestant (AOR = 10.41, 95%CI: 3.02, 21.57)), being Muslim than protestant (AOR = 5.73, 95%CI: 1.37, 15.92)) and having once or less a week religious attendance (AOR = 2.00, 95% CI: 1.20, 3.34) were factors associated with willingness towards performing induced abortion. CONCLUSIONS: According to this study willingness of students towards providing induced abortion services was good. However female students, protestant followers and those students with more than once a week religious attendance should be encouraged to support women's access to induced abortion services by referring them to other health care professionals willing to provide induced abortion services.

Medical Education's Wicked Problem: Achieving Equity in Assessment for Medical Learners.

Despite a lack of intent to discriminate, physicians educated in U.S. medical schools and residency programs often take actions that systematically disadvantage minority patients. The approach to assessment of learner performance in medical education can similarly disadvantage minority learners. The adoption of holistic admissions strategies to increase the diversity of medical training programs has not been accompanied by increases in diversity in honor societies, selective residency programs, medical specialties, and medical school faculty. These observations prompt justified concerns about structural and interpersonal bias in assessment. This manuscript characterizes equity in assessment as a "wicked problem" with inherent conflicts, uncertainty, dynamic tensions, and susceptibility to contextual influences. The authors review the underlying individual and structural causes of inequity in assessment. Using an organizational model, they propose strategies to achieve equity in assessment and drive institutional and systemic improvement based on clearly articulated principles. This model addresses the culture, systems, and assessment tools necessary to achieve equitable results that reflect stated principles. Three components of equity in assessment that can be measured and evaluated to confirm success include intrinsic equity (selection and design of assessment tools), contextual equity (the learning environment in which assessment occurs), and instrumental equity (uses of assessment data for learner advancement and selection and program evaluation). A research agenda to address these challenges and controversies and demonstrate reduction in bias and discrimination in medical education is presented.

The Impact of Three-Dimensional Printed Anatomical Models on First-Year Student Engagement in a Block Mode Delivery.

Student engagement is known to have several positive effects on learning outcomes and can impact a student's university experience. High levels of engagement in content-heavy subjects can be difficult to attain. Due to a major institutional restructure, the anatomy prosection laboratory time per subject was dramatically reduced. In response, the authors set out to redesign their anatomy units with a focus on engaging the learning activities that would increase time-on-task both within and outside of the classroom. One of these curriculum changes was the implementation of a suite of anatomy learning activities centered on sets of three-dimensional printed upper limb skeleton models. A two-part mixed-method sequential exploratory design was used to evaluate these activities. Part one was a questionnaire that evaluated the students' engagement with and perceptions of the models. Part two involved focus groups interviews, which were an extension of the survey questions in part one. The results of the study indicated that the majority of students found the models to be an engaging resource that helped improve their study habits. As a result, students strongly felt that the use of the models inspired greater academic confidence and overall better performance in their assessments. Overall, the models were an effective way of increasing the engagement and deep learning, and reinforced previous findings from the medical education research. Future research should investigate the effects of these models on student's grades within osteopathy and other allied health courses.

[Exploratory study on spinal musculoskeletal health of osteopathy students]. / Étude exploratoire de la santé musculo-squelettique du rachis d'étudiants en ostéopathie.

BACKGROUND: During their training, students in osteopathy regularly undergo spinal manipulation exercises. This exposes the students' spine to unskilled gestures performed by their colleagues learning spinal manipulation. Discomfort, muscle soreness or moderate pain following spinal manipulations lasting two or three days are commonly reported. In addition, some students may have ongoing spinal musculoskeletal disease (SMSD) during their studies. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the prevalence of SMSDs and their maximum intensity in a population of osteopathy students and to determine whether individual differences exist. METHOD: An exploratory cross-sectional study took place over three years. Data were collected by means of a self-administrated standardised questionnaire screening for MSD: the Nordic questionnaire. RESULTS: There were 733 exploitable questionnaires, giving an average response rate of 91.5%. Average prevalence of SMSD was 98.4% during the last 12 months. Average maximum intensity perceived was 6/10 and 45% of students experienced an intense SMSD (scored between 7 and 10/10). Variation of the maximum intensity of SMSD between "before osteopathy studies" and "the last 12 months" was 1.2/10. This variation was influenced by the number of days students were manipulated during a week (p<0.0001). On average, students underwent manipulation three days a week. CONCLUSION: This study confirms the important prevalence of SMSD among osteopathy students. This result led us to carry out a qualitative study for exploring students' conceptions in health and spinal manipulative practices.

Effect of a Single-Session Communication Skills Training on Empathy in Medical Students.

OBJECTIVE: Empathy scores have been found to decline over the years spent in medical school. The authors aimed to evaluate the change in empathy levels in medical students following a single-session communication skills training. METHODS: Eighty-two second-year medical students were randomized into intervention and control groups. The intervention comprised of a single-session empathetic communication skills training using PowerPoint, video clips, and roleplay. Empathy was assessed using the Jefferson Scale of Empathy-Student version (JSE) at baseline, post-intervention (for the intervention group), and at follow up after 3 weeks. RESULTS: The mean JSE score of the intervention group was 109.7 ± 11.8 at baseline, with significant improvement post-intervention (114.2 ± 10.6, p = 0.014). However, the score declined at the 3-week follow-up (106.8 ± 11.8). The mean baseline JSE score of the control group was 107.5 ± 12.4, with a decline at follow-up (101.8 ± 16.0). Though both groups showed a decline in the JSE score at follow-up, the decline was significant only for the control group (p = 0.020), which did not receive the training. CONCLUSIONS: The study showed significant improvement immediately, and lower decline at follow-up, in empathy levels following a communication skills training. The findings suggest a need to incorporate a regular training program into the existing medical curriculum, to enhance empathy and prevent its decline over the years.

Mission Drift: Are Medical School Admissions Committees Missing the Mark on Diversity?

Diversity initiatives in U.S. medical education, following the passage of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, were geared toward increasing the representation of African Americans-blacks born in the United States whose ancestors suffered under slavery and Jim Crow laws. Over time, blacks and, subsequently, underrepresented minorities in medicine (URMs), became a proxy for African Americans, Puerto Ricans, Mexican Americans, and Native Americans, thus obscuring efforts to identify and recruit specifically African Americans. Moreover, demographic shifts resulting from the recent immigration of black people from Africa and the Caribbean have both expanded the definition of "African American medical students" and shifted the emphasis from those with a history of suffering under U.S. oppression and poverty to anyone who meets a black phenotype.Increasingly, research indicates that African American patients fare better when their physicians share similar historical and social experiences. While all people of color risk discrimination based on their skin color, not all have the lived experience of U.S.-based, systematic, multigenerational discrimination shared by African Americans. In the high-stakes effort to increase URM representation in medical school classes, admissions committees may fail to look beyond the surface of phenotype, thus missing the original intent of diversity initiatives while simultaneously conflating all people of color, disregarding their divergent historical and social experiences. In this Perspective, the authors contend that medical school admissions committees must show greater discernment in their holistic reviews of black applicants if historical wrongs and continued underrepresentation of African Americans in medicine are to be redressed.

Diseño y validación de un sitio web sobre medicina natural y tradicional / Design and validation of a website on natural and traditional medicine

En las últimas décadas ha aumentado el interés por el uso de la Medicina Natural y Tradicional como alternativa económica y de fácil uso, la misma se concibe como parte del plan de estudio de las carreras de Ciencias Médicas, tanto para estudiantes de pregrado como de postgrado. No obstante, son insuficientes los materiales didácticos con que se cuenta para satisfacer las necesidades de aprendizaje de los estudiantes. Es aún necesario profundizar y actualizar los conocimientos científicos sobre esta materia. Se realizó una investigación con el objetivo de diseñar un sitio web que facilite el desarrollo del proceso enseñanza aprendizaje con las 10 Modalidades Terapéuticas de Medicina Natural y Tradicional autorizadas en Cuba para estudiantes de la Facultad de Ciencias Médicas de Bayamo. Se desarrolló en 4 etapas; la primera hace referencia al análisis situacional que permitió conocer la necesidad de diseñar el sitio web, la segunda etapa incluye lo relativo al diseño del sitio web, en la tercera se realizó el proceso de validación del mismo, mientras que en la cuarta etapa se evaluó el nivel de satisfacción de los sujetos en estudio. Participaron estudiantes de la carrera de Medicina, Estomatología, Enfermería y Tecnología de la salud, con una muestra de 331 estudiantes. La investigación realizada sustenta la necesidad de poner en práctica el sitio web en la institución en el momento en que se consolidan las trasformaciones necesarias del sector para el desarrollo del programa de la Medicina Natural y Tradicional desde lo curricular.

Rural Work and Specialty Choices of International Students Graduating from Australian Medical Schools: Implications for Policy.

Almost 500 international students graduate from Australian medical schools annually, with around 70% commencing medical work in Australia. If these Foreign Graduates of Accredited Medical Schools (FGAMS) wish to access Medicare benefits, they must initially work in Distribution Priority Areas (mainly rural). This study describes and compares the geographic and specialty distribution of FGAMS. Participants were 18,093 doctors responding to Medicine in Australia: Balancing Employment and Life national annual surveys, 2012-2017. Multiple logistic regression models explored location and specialty outcomes for three training groups (FGAMS; other Australian-trained (domestic) medical graduates (DMGs); and overseas-trained doctors (OTDs)). Only 19% of FGAMS worked rurally, whereas 29% of Australia's population lives rurally. FGAMS had similar odds of working rurally as DMGs (OR 0.93, 0.77-1.13) and about half the odds of OTDs (OR 0.48, 0.39-0.59). FGAMS were more likely than DMGs to work as general practitioners (GPs) (OR 1.27, 1.03-1.57), but less likely than OTDs (OR 0.74, 0.59-0.92). The distribution of FGAMS, particularly geographically, is sub-optimal for improving Australia's national medical workforce goals of adequate rural and generalist distribution. Opportunities remain for policy makers to expand current policies and develop a more comprehensive set of levers to promote rural and GP distribution from this group.