The impact of an early-exposure program on medical students' interest in and knowledge of rural medical practices: A questionnaire survey

Abstract

Background: Many medical students in Japan were brought up in urban areas, thus rural medical practice is often unfamiliar to them. The University of Tsukuba created a one-day early-exposure program to provide freshman students with experience in rural practices. This study was designed to clarify how this one-day early-exposure program affected medical students' attitudes toward and knowledge of rural practices. Findings: First-year medical students (n=103) were assigned to one of seven rural clinics in which they experienced rural practice for one day. A pre- and post-program questionnaire, rated on a 5-point Likert scale, was administered to assess students' interest in and knowledge of rural medical practice, with higher scores indicating greater interest and knowledge. Respondents who gave answers of 4 or 5 were defined as having high interest and knowledge. One hundred and one (98.1%) responses were received from students. After the program, the percentage of students interested in rural medical practices was increased (pre- and post-program: 39.0% and 61.0%, respectively; P