Journal of Regional Medical Campuses

Does Attending a Regional Medical Campus Influence the Training Outcomes of Family Medicine Residents?

Komal Kochhar

Indiana University School of Medicine

Laurie M Fancher

Office of Research in Medical Education, Indiana University School of Medicine

James J Brokaw

Department of Anatomy and Cell Biology, Indiana University School of Medicine

Peter M Nalin

Indiana University School of Medicine

DOI: https://doi.org/10.24926/jrmc.v2i2.1997

Keywords: Regional Medical Campuses, Family Medicine, Residency Training, Clinical Competence, Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education, ACGME, Core Competencies, Rural Practice, Health Professions Shortage Areas, HPSAs, Medically Underserved Areas, MUAs

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Abstract

Introduction: Indiana University School of Medicine (IUSM) is the largest medical school in the nation, with its main campus located in Indianapolis and eight regional medical campuses (RMC) distributed across the state. In this study, we compared the survey responses of family medicine residents who had attended medical school at the main campus in Indianapolis versus an RMC to see if there were any noticeable differences in their residency training outcomes.

Methods: From 2012 to 2017, in the spring of each year, a cross-sectional survey was administered to all final-year family medicine residents graduating from the eleven family medicine residency programs in Indiana. A total of 519 out of 520 residents completed the survey. Of whom, 132 respondents indicated they had graduated from IUSM; 45 reported they had attended the Indianapolis campus and 87 had attended one of the RMCs in the state. Our dataset for this study was comprised of these 132 respondents. Chi-square test or Fisher’s exact test were used to compare responses between groups. P-values ≤ 0.05 were considered statistically significant.

Results: In the ACGME competency areas, the residents who attended an RMC versus the Indianapolis campus were significantly more likely to report being fully competent in Medical Knowledge (90% vs. 76%, p = 0.032) and Systems-Based Practice (83% vs. 64%, p = 0.019). Additionally, the residents who attended an RMC compared to their Indianapolis counterparts reported significantly higher rates of being trained to serve rural populations (73% vs. 52%, p = 0.017) as well as being fully competent to serve rural populations (69% vs. 42%, p = 0.003). However, the residents who attended an RMC were no more likely to establish a practice in a rural area than were the residents who attended Indianapolis (18% vs. 17%, p = 0.845).

Conclusions: Based on these self-reported data, the family medicine residents who attended an RMC may perceive themselves to be better-prepared in a few core competency areas, as well as in serving rural populations, compared to those who attended the Indianapolis campus. These findings suggest that IUSM’s complex statewide system of medical education may offer some unique advantages in preparing students for residency, especially in family medicine.

 

None of the authors has a conflict of interest. This study was granted exempt status by our institution’s Institutional Review Board.

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Author Biography

Komal Kochhar, Indiana University School of Medicine

Dr. Kochhar is the Director for Research in Medical Education in the Dean’s Office of Educational Affairs, an Assistant Research Professor in the Department of Family Medicine, and an Assistant Research Professor in the Department of Anatomy and Cell Biology at the Indiana University School of Medicine.