MU med school looks to fill rural doc shortage

COLUMBIA, Mo. -- A new study shows University of Missouri medical students who spend time in rural communities while in school are more likely to start their careers away from big cities.

Researchers led by Dr. Kevin Kane, of the medical school's family and community medicine department, interviewed nearly 230 participants in the summer program. They found those participants also were more likely to choose family practice in residency training. The study covered the program's first 15 years.

Students in the university's Rural Track Pipeline Program receive four to eight weeks of clinical training in a rural community during the summer between their first two years of medical school.

The study is being published in the August edition of Academic Medicine, the Journal of the Association of American Medical Colleges.