LocumLife - July 2008 - (Page 6)

INSIGHTS Survey says Presenting industry research Survey reveals physicians’ perspectives on practicing rural medicine The locum tenens industry was created in response to rural America’s need for broader access to quality healthcare services. Billie R. Wickstrom America survey was the spread of responses by physicians with rural healthcare experience to the question, “How do you think rural practice differs from urban/suburban practice in regards to lifestyle?” Twenty percent of respondents claimed that they like rural life more, while 26% prefer urban/suburban areas, and 16% said that life is about the same wherever they live. Other participants (28%) note they like practicing medicine in a rural community more, but prefer to live in an urban/suburban area, as opposed to the 10% who like practicing medicine in an urban/suburban community more, but prefer to live in a rural area. Looking at these statistics another way, the majority of respondents who had rural health experience said they prefer practicing rural medicine, but prefer urban/suburban living. Almost half (48%) prefer practicing rural medicine versus 36% who prefer urban/suburban practice. More than half (54%) prefer urban/suburban living compared to almost a third (30%) who prefer rural living. W ith a greater demand for physicians, especially in rural areas, the locum tenens industry stands ready to connect physicians with communities that need them, making lifeor-death differences for many rural Americans. Physician recruiting firms do at least 60% of their business in rural America, where health professional shortage areas outnumber those in major metropolitan districts by more than twoto-one (2,157 to 910, respectively). LocumTenens.com surveyed physicians in late summer 2007 to better understand their perceptions of practicing rural medicine as compared to practicing in areas with populations of 50,000 or more. Approximately 2,000 physicians from a variety of specialties, geographic locations, and practice settings responded. LIFESTYLE ISSUES Probably the most telling result of the 2007 Practicing Medicine in Rural RURAL AMERICA’S PHYSICIAN SHORTAGE Roughly 22% of the population lives in rural America, but only about 10% of physicians practice there, according to the National Rural Health Association. Factors that will contribute to the worsening of the shortage include: ● An aging U.S. population (which tends to be older, on average, in rural America) ● An increased interest in leading ‘balanced lifestyles’ among today’s practicing physicians ● The presence of more female physicians in the workforce ● New medical technology for tests and interventions that did not exist before ● An aging physician population—currently one-third of practicing physicians are 55 years of age or older ● The increase in specialization and sub-specialization among practicing physicians 6 LocumLife JULY 2008 A subsequent LocumTenens.com survey on what physicians do in their free time sheds some light on their preferences for rural medicine and urban/suburban living. Participating in sports or working out, traveling, and spending time with family top the list of activities physicians reported enjoying during their time away from work. Other popular answers included spending time at the beach; enjoying movies, concerts, theater, and the arts; and doing volunteer work or going on medical missions. A common thread among the responses to this survey— and to the necessity of maintaining continuing medical education credits for many physicians—was a requirement for reasonable proximity to a major airport, and to activities that only a metropolitan area could offer. The findings from both of these recent surveys echo what we have been hearing for a while now from a number of physician-workforce experts: Today’s physicians insist on having options and on leading more balanced lives than those of the Baby Boomer Generation. Of course, this is not to say these goals could not be accomplished while practicing and living in a rural area of the United States. In fact, when looking over responses to the 2007 LocumTenens.com Physician Free Time Survey, many of the off-time activities in which physicians reportedly participate—including hiking, gardening, reading, and spending time with family—could be enjoyed from almost any medical practice setting. www.LocumLife.com http://www.LocumLife.com

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LocumLife - July 2008 Editorial From Nalto Stat! Survey Says Last-Minute Luxury Dynamics Caring For the Older Generation Enjoying the Rewards of a Locum Tenens Lifestyle Advertisers' Index Opportunities Direct Going Mobile Contest Rules Anyone's Guess La Vita Locum

LocumLife - July 2008

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