Factors Influencing Graduating Medical Students in Puerto Rico to Pursue a Primary Care Residency in the Continental United States

Abstract

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: Primary care physician shortage represents a challenge for many countries and territories, including Puerto Rico (PR), where a significant proportion of the graduating medical students preferred the continental United States (C-US) to complete their training and even as the definitive setting for their practice. We surveyed medical students who graduated from medical schools in PR and have been accepted in a residency program to evaluate the influence of a set of demographics, academic, and personal factors in their decision to pursue a primary care residency program in the C-US. METHODS: A 19-item questionnaire was distributed by institutional email to those medical students who graduated from one of the four Liaison Committee on Medical Education fully accredited medical schools in PR in 2019. We summarized our data by frequency and percentages. We performed data analysis with statistical significance considered for P values