title: The influence of regional basic science campuses on medical students' choice of specialty and practice location: a historical cohort study.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Indiana University School of Medicine (IUSM) employs eight regional basic science campuses, where half of the students complete their first two years of medical school. The other half complete all four years at the main campus in Indianapolis. The authors tested the hypothesis that training at regional campuses influences IUSM students to pursue primary care careers near the regional campuses they attended.
  
  
  METHODS
  Medical school records for 2,487 graduates (classes of 1988-1997) were matched to the 2003 American Medical Association Physician Masterfile to identify the medical specialty and practice location of each graduate. Multivariate logistic regression was performed to assess the effect of regional campus attendance on students' choice of medical specialty and practice location, while simultaneously adjusting for several covariates thought to affect these career outcomes.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Compared to Indianapolis students, those who attended a regional campus were somewhat more likely to be white, have parents with middle class occupations, and score slightly lower on the Medical College Admission Test. Any such differences were adjusted for in the regression models, which predicted that four of the regional campuses were significantly more likely than Indianapolis to produce family practitioners, and that five of the regional campuses were significantly more likely than the others to have former students practicing in the region. When analyzed collectively, attendance at any regional campus was a significant predictor of a primary care practice located outside the Indianapolis metropolitan area.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Attending a regional campus for preclinical training appears to increase the likelihood of practicing primary care medicine in local communities.
authors.affiliation: Office of Medical Student Affairs, Indiana University School of Medicine, 635 Barnhill Drive, MS-164, Indianapolis, Indiana 46202, USA. jbrokaw@iupui.edu
authors.forename: James J
authors.initials: JJ
authors.lastname: Brokaw
authors.forename: Christina A
authors.initials: CA
authors.lastname: Mandzuk
authors.forename: Michael E
authors.initials: ME
authors.lastname: Wade
authors.forename: Dennis W
authors.initials: DW
authors.lastname: Deal
authors.forename: Mary T
authors.initials: MT
authors.lastname: Johnson
authors.forename: Gary W
authors.initials: GW
authors.lastname: White
authors.forename: Jeffrey S
authors.initials: JS
authors.lastname: Wilson
authors.forename: Terrell W
authors.initials: TW
authors.lastname: Zollinger
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D002755:Choice Behavior; D015331:Cohort Studies; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007196:Indiana; D016015:Logistic Models; D008297:Male; D008511:Medicine; D011365:Professional Practice Location / Q000639:trends*; D012577:Schools, Medical; D013038:Specialization; D013337:Students, Medical / Q000523:psychology*