Medical students' reported barriers to training at a Rural Clinical School.
OBJECTIVE
To understand and address students' concerns about attending one of the new Commonwealth-funded Rural Clinical Schools.


METHODS
Analysis of students' reported reasons for clinical school selection from 2003 to 2004.


METHODS
The School of Medicine and the Rural Clinical School, University of Melbourne.


METHODS
Data were obtained from de-identified preference documents submitted by the medical student cohort assigned to the University of Melbourne clinical schools to begin in July, 2004.


RESULTS
Thirteen categories of student concerns (social) were identified from written student preference documents.


CONCLUSIONS
Evaluation of the students' concerns about social dislocation if they were assigned to a rural clinical school has provided important information about perceived barriers to rural training. These issues must be systematically addressed at the school, university and community level.
Jones
Graeme I
GI
Rural Clinical School, Faculty of Medicine, Dentistry and Health Sciences, University of Melbourne, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia.
DeWitt
Dawn E
DE
Elliott
Susan L
SL
D001291:Attitude of Health Personnel; D001315:Australia; D003258:Consumer Behavior / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D004504:Education, Medical, Undergraduate / Q000458:organization & administration*; D006801:Humans; D019035:Rural Health Services / Q000458:organization & administration*; D012917:Social Adjustment; D013337:Students, Medical / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*