title: Effect of rural practice observation on the anxiety of medical students.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  The aim of this study is to identify the level and causes of anxiety of sixth year medical students related to working in a rural area and the effect of a 1-day mobile rural health service observation on their anxiety.
  
  
  METHODS
  In the Ondokuz Mayis University Medical School in Samsun, Turkey, 212 students participated in a 1-day mobile rural health service led by a family physician. Between June 2011 and June 2013, during their family medicine internship, each student completed a structured questionnaire and a State-Trait Anxiety Inventory (STAI) before and after the observation.
  
  
  RESULTS
  A total of 85.8% of the students preferred to work in an urban area compared to 14.2%, who preferred a rural area. Currently, 89.6% of the students live in an urban area while 84.4% had lived in an urban area during most of their childhood. A total of 18.5% had no opinion about living conditions in a rural area, 71.7% thought they would be able to deal with the challenges, and 52.4% said the idea of working in a rural area made them anxious. Those students who had lived in a rural area as a child were found to be less anxious about working in a rural area. The association between the preferred work area and the student's anxiety about working in a rural area was statistically significant (p<0.001). Of the students, 76.8% thought that rural areas are more difficult places to work; a major reason for this as stated by 76.4% was the desire to have access to easy transportation. Difficult living conditions was noted by the students as their main reason for not wanting to work in a rural areas. Of the students, 77.8% answered that the 1-day rural health service observation positively affected their perspective on working in a rural area. There were 102 (48.1%) anxious students before the observation and the total decreased to 87 (41%) after the observation.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Difficult living conditions were the main reason for students' anxiety about working in a rural area. Most of the students answered that the curriculum positively affected their perspective. Medical schools should provide students with the rural primary care environment experience, which would decrease their anxiety.
authors.affiliation: Department of Family Medicine, School of Medicine, Ondokuzmayis University, Samsun, Turkey. selmazalim@hotmail.com.
authors.forename: Se
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Aydin
authors.affiliation: Department of Family Medicine, School of Medicine, Ondokuzmayis University, Samsun, Turkey. fyaris@omu.edu.tr.
authors.forename: F
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Yaris
authors.affiliation: Department of Family Medicine, School of Medicine, Ondokuzmayis University, Samsun, Turkey. mdikici@omu.edu.tr.
authors.forename: M F
authors.initials: MF
authors.lastname: Dikici
authors.affiliation: Department of Family Medicine, School of Medicine, Ondokuzmayis University, Samsun, Turkey. fartiran@omu.edu.tr.
authors.forename: F
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Artiran Igde
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D001008:Anxiety Disorders / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000523:psychology*; D002321:Career Choice; D003479:Curriculum; D005194:Family Practice / Q000193:education; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007396:Internship and Residency / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D008297:Male; D008952:Mobile Health Units; D012111:Residence Characteristics / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D019035:Rural Health Services; D017678:Sex Distribution; D012924:Social Conditions; D013038:Specialization / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D013337:Students, Medical / Q000523:psychology* / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D013732:Test Anxiety Scale; D014421:Turkey; D019037:Urban Health Services; D000078329:Workforce; D055815:Young Adult
keywords: Assessment; Education; Europe; General/Family Practice; Medical; Undergraduate