Background and Objectives: Specialized medical school educational tracks aim to increase the primary care workforce. The International/Inner-City/Rural Preceptorship (I2CRP) Program is unique in addressing multiple communities, a large cohort and applying the Self Determination Theory framework. This study examined program impact by analyzing the numbers of graduates matched into primary care and practicing in medically underserved communities.
Methods: We compared the match list of I2CRP graduates between 2000 and 2017 (n=204) to non-I2CRP Virginia Commonwealth University School of Medicine (VCU SOM) graduates (n=3,037). We analyzed the matches into primary care, National Health Service Corps (NHSC) priority specialties, and NHSC priority plus general surgery. We searched a federal database to determine which graduates are practicing in workforce shortage areas.
Results: Many more I2CRP graduates matched to primary care (71.1%), compared to non-I2CRP graduates (38.2%; P<.001). Within primary care, I2CRP graduates matched to family medicine more frequently than non-I2CRP graduates (36.3% vs 8.4%). Eighteen percent of posttraining I2CRP graduates work in rural areas and 41% work in medically underserved areas.
Conclusions: I2CRP graduates are more likely to match to family medicine and primary care. I2CRP curriculum nurtures new medical students’ interest in primary care, and self-determination theory provides a framework to organize the program curriculum. The program’s impact endures as evidenced by participants’ continued work in underserved areas after residency. Increasing support for such programs may help address the primary care physician shortage in medically underserved areas.
Nurturing the Student, Sustaining the Mission: 20 Years of the International/Inner-City/Rural Preceptorship Program
