Family medicine
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Although rural family medicine residency programs are effective in placing trainees into rural practice, many struggle to recruit students. Lacking other public measures, students may use residency match rates as a proxy for program quality and value. This study documents match rate trends and explores the relationship between match rates and program characteristics, including quality measures and recruitment strategies. ⋯ Understanding the intricacies of rural residency inputs and outcomes is key to addressing rural workforce gaps. Match rates likely reflect challenges of rural workforce recruitment generally and should not be conflated with program quality.
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The rapid increase in the older adult population necessitates an increase in physicians who are adept at caring for the various medical comorbidities that accompany aging. To fill the gap in geriatric medical education and overcome barriers to medical student interest in geriatrics, we developed a friendly caller program that links medical students to older adults through multiple weekly phone calls. This study examines the impact of this program on geriatric care competency, a foundational skill for primary care physicians, in first-year medical students. ⋯ Given the shortage of physicians competent in geriatric care amid a rapidly growing older adult population, this study highlights a novel, older adult service-learning program that positively impacts geriatric knowledge in medical students.
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Multicenter Study
Integrating MOUD and Primary Care: Outcomes of a Multicenter Learning Collaborative.
Opioid use and overdose remain a central and worsening public health emergency in the United States and abroad. Efforts to expand treatment have struggled to match the rising incidence of opioid use disorder (OUD), and treating patients in primary care settings represents one of the most promising opportunities to meet this need. Learning collaboratives (LCs) are one evidence-based strategy to improve implementation of medication treatment for opioid use disorder (MOUD) in primary care. ⋯ Organizations used clinical and systems improvement knowledge to enhance their existing programs or to take steps to create new programs. All participants identified the need for additional staff/clinician training, especially to overcome stigma around OUD. The outcomes demonstrated the crucial importance of long-term organizational support for program success.
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Most family medicine (FM) residency programs continuously recruit faculty, though little is known about their recruitment practices. In this study, we sought to define to what extent FM residency programs are relying on recruitment of program graduates, regional programs, or programs outside their region for filling faculty roles and to compare these data across program characteristics. ⋯ Programs that aim to improve faculty recruitment from their own graduates should consider prioritizing internal recruitment. They also may consider the development of both clinical and faculty development fellowships for local and regional hires.