Although fourteen percent of the U.S. population lives in rural areas, only ten percent of primary care physicians practice medicine there; populations in areas with physician shortages have measurably worse health outcomes. We analyze the effects of incentive programs intended to eliminate physician shortages. Using a differences-in-differences approach, we estimate that student loan forgiveness programs cause an increase of three physicians per rural county. We then estimate a model of physician location decisions and find that physicians are unresponsive to differences in compensation and prefer to live in their home state. Consequently, current programs are too small to eliminate shortages.

Research Paper (undergraduate) from the year 2017 in the subject Health - Miscellaneous, grade: B+, Loyola University Chicago, language: English, abstract: We are proposing the following solutions to the challenge of primary healthcare provider shortages in rural Washington: that undergraduate medical education (UME) pathway in the two medical schools in the state be altered; visa-waivers, loan-forgiveness and direct incentive programs expanded; and residency funding be increased. These are workable with the right support and resources. We understand that primary healthcare physician shortages will worsen more and more over the next decade if nothing is done now; and there is no doubt that communities have been feeling the impacts of shortages. Since none of the plans proposed here can work to reduce the expected decrease, the right combination of strategies will results in an increase in the number of primary healthcare physicians per population in rural Washington, which is the main aim of this proposal.

Accompanying CD-Rom has same title as book.

A combination of personal attributes and social capital gained through family, educational, and social connections gave rural students the capacity to overcome barriers and attend college and medical school. The rural population is one of the nation's largest medically underserved populations and physician shortages are negatively influencing both the health status and economic vitality of rural areas. The lived experiences of 18 physicians who grew up in a rural area were explored using a modified Van Kaam method of phenomenological analysis. Key themes exposed included: personal attributes, importance of educators, family, peers, and faith, presence or absence of barriers to college or medical school, financing, prior health care exposure, and feelings and memories connected with college or medical school.

This study reviews and summarizes the literature on ways to increase the physician manpower in rural areas and develops a portfolio of possible options to alleviate the physician shortage. It provides a summary description of the scientific evidence on approaches to recruiting physicians to rural practice and a checklist organizations can us to assess their strategic options."

This paper reviews the problem of physician shortages in rural areas in North Dakota. The author surveyed current medical students at University of North Dakota to determine what factors are important in deciding where to practice. The paper concludes with recommendations about how rural physician recruitment can be improved.