Socio-demographic profile of medical students in Aotearoa, New Zealand (2016-2020): a nationwide cross-sectional study.

OBJECTIVE: To determine the socio-demographic profile of all students enrolled to study medicine in Aotearoa New Zealand (NZ). DESIGN AND SETTING: Observational, cross-sectional study. Data were sought from the Universities of Auckland and Otago, the two NZ tertiary education institutions providing medical education, for the period 2016-2020 inclusive. These data are a subset of the larger project 'Mirror on Society' examining all regulated health professional enrolled students in NZ. VARIABLES OF INTEREST: gender, citizenship, ethnicity, rural classification, socioeconomic deprivation, school type and school socioeconomic scores. NZ denominator population data (18-29 years) were sourced from the 2018 census. PARTICIPANTS: 2858 students were enrolled to study medicine between 2016 and 2020 inclusive. RESULTS: There were more women (59.1%) enrolled to study medicine than men (40.9%) and the majority (96.5%) were in the 18-29 years age range. Maori students (rate ratio 0.92; 95% CI 0.84 to 1.0) and Pacific students (rate ratio 0.85; 95% CI 0.73 to 0.98) had lower overall rates of enrolment. For all ethnic groups, irrespective of rural or urban origin, enrolment rates had a nearly log-linear negative relationship with increasing socioeconomic deprivation. Enrolments were lower for students from rural areas compared with those from urban areas (rate ratio 0.53; 95% CI 0.46-0.61). Overall NZ's medical students do not reflect the diverse communities they will serve, with under-representation of Maori and Pacific students and students who come from low socioeconomic and rural backgrounds. CONCLUSIONS: To meaningfully address these issues, we suggest the following policy changes: universities commit and act to Indigenise institutional ways of knowing and being; selection policies are reviewed to ensure that communities in greatest need of doctors are prioritised for enrolment into medicine (specifically, the impact of low socioeconomic status should be factored into selection decisions); and the government fund more New Zealanders to study medicine.

Informed consent for medical student involvement in patient care: an updated consensus statement.

Enabling patients to consent to or decline involvement of medical students in their care is an essential aspect of ethically sound, patient-centred, mana-enhancing healthcare. It is required by Aotearoa New Zealand law and Te Kaunihera Rata o Aotearoa Medical Council of New Zealand policy. This requirement was affirmed and explored in a 2015 Consensus Statement jointly authored by the Auckland and Otago Medical Schools. Student reporting through published studies, reflective assignments and anecdotal experiences of students and teachers indicate procedures for obtaining patient consent to student involvement in care remain substandard at times. Between 2020 and 2023 senior leaders of Aotearoa New Zealand's two medical schools, and faculty involved with teaching ethics and professionalism, met to discuss these challenges and reflect on ways they could be addressed. Key stakeholders were engaged to inform proposed responses. This updated consensus statement is the result. It does not establish new standards but outlines Aotearoa New Zealand's existing cultural, ethical, legal and regulatory requirements, and considers how these may be reasonably and feasibly met using some examples.

Sample representativeness and influence of attrition on longitudinal data collected as part of a national medical career tracking project.

BACKGROUND: The Medical Schools Outcomes Database and Longitudinal Tracking Project (MSOD) in New Zealand is one example of a national survey-based resource of medical student experiences and career outcomes. Longitudinal studies of medical students are valuable for evaluating the outcomes of medical programs against workforce objectives. As a prospective longitudinal multiple-cohort study, survey response rates at each collection point of MSOD vary. This paper assesses the effects of participant non-response rates on MSOD data. METHODS: Demographic variables of MSOD respondents between 2012 and 2018 were compared to the distribution of the demographic variables in the population of all NZ medical graduates to ascertain whether respondent samples at multiple survey collection points were representative of the population. Analysis using logistic regression assessed the impact of participant non-response on variables at collection points throughout MSOD. RESULTS: 2874 out of a total population of 2939 domestic medical students graduating between 2012 and 2018 responded to MSOD surveys. Entry and exit surveys achieved response rates around 80% and were broadly representative of the total population on demographic variables. Post-graduation survey response rates were around 50% of the total population of graduates and underrepresented graduates from the University of Auckland. Between the entry and exit and the exit and postgraduation year three samples, there was a significant impact of non-response on ascribed variables, including age at graduation, university, gender and ethnic identity. Between the exit and postgraduation year one sample, non-response significantly impacted ascribed and non-ascribed variables, including future practice intentions. CONCLUSION: Samples collected from MSOD at entry and exit are representative, and findings from cross-sectional studies using these datasets are likely generalisable to the wider population of NZ medical graduates. Samples collected one and three years post-graduation are less representative. Researchers should be aware of this bias when utilizing these data. When using MSOD data in a longitudinal manner, e.g. comparing the change in career intentions from one collection point to the next, researchers should appropriately control for bias due to non-response between collection points. This study highlights the value of longitudinal career-tracking studies for answering questions relevant to medical education and workforce development.

Building Culturally Centered System Dynamics Logic Models for the Brown Buttabean Motivation Organization: Protocol for a Systems Science Approach.

BACKGROUND: Brown Buttabean Motivation (BBM) is an organization providing support for Pacific people and Indigenous Maori to manage their weight, mainly through community-based exercise sessions and social support. It was started by DL, a man of Samoan and Maori descent, following his personal weight loss journey from a peak weight of 210 kg to less than half that amount. DL is a charismatic leader with a high media profile who is successful in soliciting donations from corporations in money and kindness. Over time, BBM's activities have evolved to include healthy eating, food parcel provision, and other components of healthy living. A co-design team of university researchers and BBM staff are evaluating various components of the program and organization. OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this study is to build culturally centered system dynamics logic models to serve as the agreed theories of change for BBM and provide a basis for its ongoing effectiveness, sustainability, and continuous quality improvements. METHODS: A systems science approach will clarify the purpose of BBM and identify the systemic processes needed to effectively and sustainably achieve the study's purpose. Cognitive mapping interviews with key stakeholders will produce maps of their conceptions of BBM's goals and related cause-and-effect processes. The themes arising from the analysis of these maps will provide the initial indicators of change to inform the questions for 2 series of group model building workshops. In these workshops, 2 groups (BBM staff and BBM members) will build qualitative systems models (casual loop diagrams), identifying feedback loops in the structures and processes of the BBM system that will enhance the program's effectiveness, sustainability, and quality improvement. The Pacific and Maori team members will ensure that workshop content, processes, and outputs are grounded in cultural approaches appropriate for the BBM community, with several Pacific and Maori frameworks informing the methods. These include the Samoan fa'afaletui research framework, which requires different perspectives to be woven together to create new knowledge, and kaupapa Maori-aligned research approaches, which create a culturally safe space to conduct research by, with, and for Maori. The Pacific fonofale and Maori te whare tapa wha holistic frameworks for interpreting people's dimensions of health and well-being will also inform this study. RESULTS: Systems logic models will inform BBM's future developments as a sustainable organization and support its growth and development beyond its high dependence on DL's charismatic leadership. CONCLUSIONS: This study will adopt a novel and innovative approach to co-designing culturally centered system dynamics logic models for BBM by using systems science methods embedded within Pacific and Maori worldviews and weaving together a number of frameworks and methodologies. These will form the theories of change to enhance BBM's effectiveness, sustainability, and continuous improvement. TRIAL REGISTRATION: Australian New Zealand Clinical Trial Registry ACTRN 12621-00093-1875; https://www.anzctr.org.au/Trial/Registration/TrialReview.aspx?id=382320. INTERNATIONAL REGISTERED REPORT IDENTIFIER (IRRID): PRR1-10.2196/44229.

National cross-sectional study of the sociodemographic characteristics of Aotearoa New Zealand's regulated health workforce pre-registration students: a mirror on society?

OBJECTIVES: To provide a sociodemographic profile of students enrolled in their first year of a health professional pre-registration programme offered within New Zealand (NZ) tertiary institutions. DESIGN: Observational, cross-sectional study. Data were sought from NZ tertiary education institutions for all eligible students accepted into the first 'professional' year of a health professional programme for the 5-year period 2016-2020 inclusive. VARIABLES OF INTEREST: gender, citizenship, ethnicity, rural classification, socioeconomic deprivation, school type and school socioeconomic scores. Analyses were carried out using the R statistics software. SETTING: Aotearoa NZ. PARTICIPANTS: All students (domestic and international) accepted into the first 'professional' year of a health professional programme leading to registration under the Health Practitioners Competence Assurance Act 2003. RESULTS: NZ's health workforce pre-registration students do not reflect the diverse communities they will serve in several important dimensions. There is a systematic under-representation of students who identify as Maori and Pacific, and students who come from low socioeconomic and rural backgrounds. The enrolment rate for Maori students is about 99 per 100 000 eligible population and for some Pacific ethnic groups is lower still, compared with 152 per 100 000 for NZ European students. The unadjusted rate ratio for enrolment for both Maori students and Pacific students versus 'NZ European and Other' students is approximately 0.7. CONCLUSIONS: We recommend that: (1) there should be a nationally coordinated system for collecting and reporting on the sociodemographic characteristics of the health workforce pre-registration; (2) mechanisms be developed to allow the agencies that fund tertiary education to base their funding decisions directly on the projected health workforce needs of the health system and (3) tertiary education funding decisions be based on Te Tiriti o Waitangi (the foundational constitutional agreement between the Indigenous people, Maori and the British Crown signed in 1840) and have a strong pro-equity focus.

Engaging with Brown Buttabean Motivation for Sustained Weight Loss.

Context Brown Buttabean Motivation (BBM) is a grassroot Pacific-led organisation aiming to reduce obesity amongst Pasifika (Pacific people in Aotearoa New Zealand) and Indigenous Maori, helping them choose a healthy and active life-style for themselves, their children and their wider family. BBM offers a holistic approach to weight loss, recognising that mental health, family and cultural factors all play essential and critical roles in nutrition and physical activity patterns. Objective To understand how participants experience and engage with BBM. Study Design &; Analysis Qualitative study conducted by our co-design research team within a broader BBM research project. Initial inductive thematic approach followed by theoretical deductive analysis of coded data guided by Pacific Fonofale and Maori Te Whare Tapa Wha health models. In this meeting-house metaphor, the floor is family, roof is culture, house-posts are physical, mental, spiritual and socio-demographic health and well-being, surrounded by environment, time and context. Setting South Auckland, New Zealand 2021 Population Studied BBM participants Instrument Semi-structured interviews Outcome Measures Narrative data Results 22 interviewees (50% female) aged 24-60 years of mixed Pacific and Maori ethnicities. Majority self-reported weight loss (between three and 135kg) since starting BBM. Two researchers independently coded data with adjudication (kappa=0.61) Participants identified the interactive holistic nature of health and wellbeing from BBM. As well as physical, mental and spiritual benefits, BBM helped many re-connect with both their family and their culture. BBM is seen as a new way of life. Participants "immediately belong to BBM family" regardless of culture or size, "with no judgements" and adopt the BBM motto "no excuses". Conclusions Many weight loss studies provide programmes to improve physical exercise and nutrition, but seldom address sustainability and other core factors such as mental health and motivation. BBM is a community-embedded Maori and Pasifika-led intervention, with no reliance on researchers nor external authorities for its ongoing implementation. It addresses factors impacting participants' lives and social determinants of health, including vaccination drives, food parcels and adapting to the COVID-19 pandemic and lockdowns. Our three-year longitudinal cohort study assessing sustained weight loss is ongoing.

Medical students and informed consent-response to "Consent for Teaching".

Nil.

Socio-economic deprivation and healthcare service use of young people with type 1 and type 2 diabetes.

AIM: Lower socio-economic status (SES) is linked to greater morbidity in people with young-onset type 2 (T2D) and type 1 diabetes (T1D). We assessed healthcare utilisation from this population and the impact of SES. METHODS: Retrospective analysis of 1,350 people with T2D and 731 with T1D diagnosed between 15-30 years of age referred to secondary diabetes services in Auckland, New Zealand. Primary care visits, referral to/attendance at diabetes clinics, and hospital admissions were recorded; their relationship to a validated national index of deprivation (NZDep) was assessed. RESULTS: The proportion with primary care attendance was similar in both groups with no significant variation with NZDep. For T2D, NZDep was a predictor of delayed referral (≧1-year post-diagnosis) to diabetes services, following adjustment for age and HbA1c in the year of diagnosis (OR 1.15 for every decile increase in NZDep, 95% CI 1.07-1.24, p=0.0003). The median number of appointments offered over a 2-year period was greater for T1D (2.0 (IQR 0, 7) vs (0 (IQR 0, 2), p<0.001); non-attendance increased with NZDep for T2D (p=0.016). The proportion with hospital admissions was similar in both groups and increased with NZDep (T1D p<0.001, T2D p=0.015). CONCLUSION: SES impacts several measures of healthcare utilisation. Current healthcare models are inadequately servicing people with young-onset T2D.

Process evaluation of in-person, news and social media engagement of a community-based programme Brown Buttabean Motivation (BBM): a research protocol.

INTRODUCTION: The community group Brown Buttabean Motivation (BBM) initially began to assist Auckland Pasifika and Maori to manage weight problems, predominantly through community-based exercise sessions and social support. BBM's activities expanded over time to include many other components of healthy living in response to community need. With advent of the COVID-19 pandemic, BBM outreach grew to include a foodbank distributing an increasing amount of donated healthy food to families in need, a community kitchen and influenza and COVID-19 vaccine drives. A strong social media presence has served as the main means of communication with the BBM community as well as use of traditional news media (written, radio, television) to further engage with vulnerable members of the community. METHODS AND ANALYSIS: The study aims to conduct mixed method process evaluation of BBM's community engagement through in-person, social and news media outreach activities with respect to the health and well-being of Pasifika and Maori over time. The project is informed by theoretical constructs including Pacific Fa'afaletui and Fonofale and Maori Te Whare Tapa Wha Maori research frameworks and principles of Kaupapa Maori. It is further framed using the concept of community-driven diffusion of knowledge and engagement through social networks. Data sources include in-person community engagement databases, social and news media outreach data from archived documents and online resources. Empirical data will undergo longitudinal and time series statistical analyses. Qualitative text thematic analyses will be conducted using the software NVivo, Leximancer and AntConc. Image and video visual data will be randomly sampled from two social media platforms. The social media dataset contains almost 8000 visual artefacts. ETHICS AND DISSEMINATION: Ethics approval obtained from University of Auckland Human Participants Ethics Committee UAHPEC 23456. Findings will be published in peer-reviewed publications, disseminated through community meetings and conferences and via BBM social network platforms. TRIAL REGISTRATION NUMBER: ACTRN 12621 00093 1875.

The student narrative of undergoing academic difficulty and remediation in a medical programme: Indigenous Maori and Pacific Admission Scheme (MAPAS) and international student perspectives at The University of Auckland.

AIMS: To understand the medical student perspective and experiences of academic difficulty and remediation in years' 2-6 at The University of Auckland (UoA), Aotearoa New Zealand, who were admitted via the Indigenous Maori and Pacific Admission Scheme (MAPAS) and international student pathways. METHODS: A qualitative study which undertook one-on-one, semi-structured interviews using case study as the research method within Kaupapa Maori and Pacific research frameworks. Two student groups were interviewed during 2017: MAPAS and international medical students. An email invitation was sent to all students, inviting those who had failed a year, or at least one examination, assessment, module or domain in UoA Medical Programme during 2014-2016 to participate in the study. Interview transcripts were thematically analysed with an inductive approach. RESULTS: Fourteen medical students at UoA were included in the study, with ten from MAPAS and four from the international student admission pathway. There were six major themes identified. Three themes related to academic difficulty: the set curriculum, the hidden clinical curriculum and life complexities. Three related to the student perspectives of remediation: the impact of MAPAS support, enhanced resilience (particularly the MAPAS cohort) and stigmatisation from failing. CONCLUSIONS: This study has investigated the MAPAS and international medical student experience of academic difficulty and remediation at UoA. The student dialogue offered a rich insight to deepen our understanding into the remediation process to ensure it is not only culturally safe but also fit for purpose. Tertiary institutions that offer undergraduate medical education can (and should) better support their at-risk medical student cohorts.

Effects of a regional-rural immersion program in Northland, New Zealand, on returning to work in that region.

INTRODUCTION: It is well established that rural workforce outcomes are more likely among medical graduates who spend time training in non-urban areas; however, fewer studies have assessed whether graduates are more likely to return to the specific area where they undertook rural training. OBJECTIVE: This study aimed to determine whether graduates who had undertaken a regional-rural immersion program in Northland, NZ, were more likely to have returned to work in Northland as of mid-2021, relative to peers who did not participate. DESIGN: This prospective cohort study used longitudinal tracking survey responses, medical school administrative data and workforce outcome information. A multinomial model, accounting for other covariates, was built to determine the association between graduates practising in Northland (population ⟨ 100 000), which encompasses both rural (population ⟨ 25 000) and regional (25 000 ⟩ population ⟨ 100 000) areas, and having participated in a Northland-based immersion program during medical school. The study population was University of Auckland domestic medical students graduating between 2009 and 2018, inclusive. Immersion program participants who responded to longitudinal career tracking surveys were included in the study sample. FINDINGS: The final sample size was 1320 students (80% of population of interest). Graduates who undertook the Northland immersion program (n = 169) were more likely than non-participants (n = 1151) to be working in Northland as of 2020-2021 (relative risk: 3.2). DISCUSSION AND CONCLUSION: Regional-rural immersion programs might preferentially build workforces in that specific region; however, further research is required to understand whether these findings are generalizable, and the main reasons for this effect.

Study protocol for evaluating Brown Buttabean Motivation (BBM): a community-based, Pacific-driven approach to health.

BACKGROUND: Buttabean Motivation (BBM) is a Pacific-led organisation which aims to reduce obesity amongst Pacific and Maori people in New Zealand enabling them to choose a healthy and active life-style for the duration of their lives, their children, their wider family and the community. BBM offers a holistic approach to weight loss, recognising that mental health, family and cultural factors all play essential and critical role in nutrition and physical activity patterns. This study aims to evaluate the effectiveness of BBM for sustained health and wellbeing outcomes among its predominantly Pacific and Maori participants for both general BBM members and those with morbid obesity attending the 'From the Couch' programme. METHODS: Quasi-experimental pre-post quantitative cohort study design with measured or self-reported weight at various time intervals for both cohorts. Weight will be analysed with general linear mixed model for repeated measures, and compared with a prediction model generated from the literature using a mixed method meta-analysis. The secondary outcome is change in pre- and post scores of Maori scale of health and well-being, Hua Oranga. DISCUSSION: Multiple studies have shown that many diet and physical activity programmes can create short-term weight loss. The fundamental question is whether BBM members maintain weight loss over time. In New Zealand, Pacific and Maori engagement in health enhancing programmes remains an important strategy for achieving better health and wellbeing outcomes, and quality of life. Internationally, the collectivist cultures of indigenous and migrant and minority populations, living within dominant individualist western ideologies, have much greater burdens of obesity. If BBM members demonstrate sustained weight loss, this culturally informed community-based approach could benefit to other indigenous and migrant populations. TRIAL REGISTRATION: Australian New Zealand Clinical Trial Registry ACTRN12621000931875 (BBM general members) First submitted 10 May 2021, registration completed 15 July 2021. ACTRN12621001676808 7 (From the Couch) First submitted 28 October 2021, registration completed 7 December 2021.

Understanding engagement with Brown Buttabean Motivation, an Auckland grassroots, Pacific-led holistic health programme: a qualitative study.

OBJECTIVES: The aim was to understand how participants engage with Brown Buttabean Motivation (BBM) a grassroots, Pacific-led holistic health programme and the meaning it has in their lives. The objectives were to explore the impact BBM had on all aspects of their health and well-being, what attracted them, why they stayed, identify possible enablers and barriers to engagement, and understand impact of COVID-19 restrictions. DESIGN: Qualitative study with thematic analysis of semi-structured interviews of BBM participants, followed by theoretical deductive analysis of coded data guided by Pacific Fonofale and Maori Te Whare Tapa Wha health models. In this meeting-house metaphor, floor is family, roof is culture, house-posts represent physical, mental, spiritual and sociodemographic health and well-being, with surroundings of environment, time and context. SETTING: Interviews of BBM members conducted in South Auckland, New Zealand, 2020. PARTICIPANTS: 22 interviewees (50% female) aged 24-60 years of mixed Pacific and Maori ethnicities with a mixture of regular members, attendees of the programme for those morbidly obese and trainers. RESULTS: Two researchers independently coded data with adjudication and kappa=0.61 between coders. Participants identified the interactive holistic nature of health and well-being. As well as physical, mental and spiritual benefits, BBM helped many reconnect with both their family and their culture. CONCLUSIONS: BBM's primary aim is weight-loss motivation. Many weight loss studies provide programmes to improve physical exercise and nutrition, but seldom address sustainability and other core factors such as mental health. Programmes are often designed by researchers or authorities. BBM is a community-embedded intervention, with no reliance external authorities for its ongoing implementation. It addresses many factors impacting participants' lives and social determinants of health as well as its core business of exercise and diet change. Our results indicate that BBM's holistic approach and responsiveness to perceived community needs may contribute to its sustained success.

Socioeconomic status and risk factors for complications in young people with type 1 or type 2 diabetes: a cross-sectional study.

INTRODUCTION: Young people with type 2 diabetes (T2D) develop complications earlier than those with type 1 diabetes (T1D) of comparable duration, but it is unclear why. This apparent difference in phenotype could relate to relative inequality. RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS: Cross-sectional study of young people referred to secondary diabetes services in Auckland, Aotearoa-New Zealand (NZ): 731 with T1D and 1350 with T2D currently aged <40 years, and diagnosed between 15 and 30 years. Outcome measures were risk factors for complications (glycemic control, urine albumin/creatinine ratio (ACR), cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk) in relation to a validated national index of deprivation (New Zealand Deprivation Index (NZDep)). RESULTS: Young people with T2D were an average 3 years older than those with T1D but had a similar duration of diabetes. 71% of those with T2D were of Maori or Pasifika descent, compared with 24% with T1D (p<0.001). T1D cases were distributed evenly across NZDep categories. 78% of T2D cases were living in the lowest four NZDep categories (p<0.001). In both diabetes types, body mass index (BMI) increased progressively across the NZDep spectrum (p<0.002), as did mean glycated hemoglobin (HbA1c) (p<0.001), the prevalence of macroalbuminuria (p≤0.01), and CVD risk (p<0.001). Adjusting for BMI, diabetes type, and duration and age, multiple logistic regression revealed deprivation was the strongest risk factor for poorly controlled diabetes (defined as HbA1c >64 mmol/mol, >8%); OR 1.17, 95% CI 1.13 to 1.22, p<0.0001. Ordinal logistic regression showed each decile increase in NZDep increased the odds of a higher ACR by 11% (OR 1.11, 95% CI 1.06 to 1.16, p<0.001) following adjustment for BMI, blood pressure, diabetes type and duration, HbA1c, and smoking status. Multiple linear regression indicated a 4% increase in CVD risk for every decile increase in NZDep, regardless of diabetes type. CONCLUSIONS: The apparent more aggressive phenotype of young-onset T2D is at least in part explicable by relative deprivation.

How rural is rural? The relationship between rural background of medical students and their career location intentions.

OBJECTIVE: Rural background is associated with greater interest in rural practice. However, there is no universally agreed definition of 'rural' background used in medical school selection. This study explored the association between definitions of 'rural' background and students' intended career locations. DESIGN: Prospective cohort study using survey data on career intention, hometown size, rurality of background, home address, high school and intended career location. SETTING: University of Auckland, New Zealand (NZ). PARTICIPANTS: Commencing medical students 2009-2017, inclusive. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Univariate associations between student background according to 7 definitions of 'rural', and 3 definitions of intended practice location based on population size: urban intention (>100 000); regional intention (25 000-100 000); rural intention (<25 000). RESULTS: The sample size was 1592 students. 27.4% had a rural background by at least one definition. All definitions of rural background were associated with a greater rural intention. Applying a restrictive definition of rural (population<25 000) was associated with a higher likelihood of rural intention, but captured a smaller number of students. There was strong agreement between the population size of a student's background and intended practice location (chi-square P < .0001). CONCLUSION: Rural intention varies by definition, but the number of students captured by each definition is important. Applying a binary or overly restrictive definition may limit interested students. Medical schools should adopt a definition of 'rural' that optimises the number of eligible students and their propensity to work rurally. Further, alternative ways of identifying students with rural intentions without a rural background should be explored.

Cervical lymphatic malformation demonstrating thyroglobulin on fine needle aspirate washout.

A case report highlighting the importance of cautious interpretation of thyroglobulin washouts in fine needle aspirates when deciding on management of differentiated thyroid cancer, so as to avoid unnecessary surgery.

A Qualitative and Semiquantitative Exploration of the Experience of a Rural and Regional Clinical Placement Programme.

In many countries, including New Zealand, recruitment of medical practitioners to rural and regional areas is a government priority, yet evidence for what determines career choice remains limited. We studied 19 newly qualified medical practitioners, all of whom had participated in a year-long undergraduate rural or regional placement (the Pukawakawa Programme). We explored their placement experiences through focus groups and interviews and aimed to determine whether experiential differences existed between those who chose to return to a rural or regional location for early career employment (the Returners) and those who did not (the Non-Returners). Focus group and interview transcripts were a mean (range) length of 6485 (4720-7889) and 3084 (1843-4756) words, respectively, and underwent thematic analysis. We then used semiquantitative analysis to determine the relative dominance of themes and subthemes within our thematic results. Placement experiences were overwhelming positive - only four themes emerged for negative experiences, but five themes and nine subthemes emerged for positive experiences. Many curricular aspects of the placement experience were viewed as similarly positive for Returners and Non-Returners, as were social aspects with fellow students. Hence, positive experiences per se appear not to differentiate Returner and Non-Returner groups and so seem unlikely to be related to decisions about practice location. However, Returners reported a substantially higher proportion of positive placement experiences related to feeling part of the clinical team compared with Non-Returners (11% vs 4%, respectively) - a result consistent with Returners also reporting more positive experiences related to learning and knowledge gained and personal development.

The employment gap: the relationship between medical student career choices and the future needs of the New Zealand medical workforce.

AIMS: To determine the career decision intentions of graduating doctors, and the relationship between these intentions and the predicted medical workforce needs in New Zealand in 10 years' time. METHODS: A workforce forecasting model developed by the Ministry of Health (MOH) has been used to predict the proportion of doctors required in each medical specialty in 2028 in New Zealand. The future work intentions of recently graduated doctors at the Universities of Auckland and Otago were collected from the Medical Student Outcomes Data (MSOD), and compared with these predicted needs. RESULTS: Between 2013 and 2017, 2,292 doctors graduated in New Zealand, of whom 1,583 completed the MSOD preferences section (response rate 69%). Of these only 50.1% had decided on a future medical specialty. The most popular were surgical specialties (26.2%), general practice (20.7%), and internal medicine (11.0%). Compared to the MOH workforce forecast model there appears to be insufficient interest in general practice at the time of graduation. CONCLUSIONS: To shape the medical workforce to meet forecast needs, multiple stakeholders will need to collaborate, with a special focus on the early postgraduate years, as many doctors have yet to decide on specialisation.

Medical electives: exploring the determinants of placement and access variables between 2010 and 2016 at the University of Auckland.

BACKGROUND: Medical electives undertaken during sixth year at medical school provide an opportunity for students to work in an overseas or New Zealand health facility to gain exposure to a health system outside their training facility. Previous work suggests that the elective experience can be profound, exposing global health inequities, or influencing future career decisions. This study assessed patterns within elective choice by students' socio demographic and programme entry characteristics. METHODS: A retrospective analysis of student elective records from 2010 to 2016 was undertaken using a Kaupapa Maori research framework, an approach which prioritises positive benefits for Maori (and Pacific) participants and communities. A descriptive analysis of routinely collected de-identified aggregate secondary data included demographic variables (gender, age group, ethnicity, secondary school decile, year and route of entry), and elective site. Route of entry (into medical school) is via general, MAPAS (Maori and Pacific Admissions Scheme) and RRS (Regional and Rural Scheme). Multivariable logistic regression analysis determined the odd ratios for predictors of going overseas for elective and electives taking place in a "High" (HIC) compared to "Low- and middle-income countries" (LMIC). RESULTS: Of the 1101 students who undertook an elective (2010-2016) the majority undertook their elective overseas; the majority spent their elective within a high-income country. Age (younger), route of entry (general) and high school decile (high) were associated with going overseas for an elective. Within the MAPAS cohort, Pacific students were more likely (than Maori) were to go overseas for their elective; Maori students were more likely to spend their elective in a HIC. CONCLUSION: The medical elective holds an important, pivotal opportunity for medical students to expand their clinical, professional and cultural competency. Our results suggest that targeted support may be necessary to ensure equitable access, particularly for MAPAS students the benefit of an overseas elective.

Developing New Zealand's medical workforce: realising the potential of longitudinal career tracking.

For over a decade, the Medical Schools Outcomes Database and Longitudinal Tracking Project (MSOD) has collected data from medical students in Australia and New Zealand. This project aims to explore how individual student background or attributes might interact with curriculum or early postgraduate training to affect eventual career choice and location. In New Zealand, over 4,000 students have voluntarily provided information at various time points, and the project is at a stage where some firm conclusions are starting to be drawn. This paper presents the background to the project along with some early results and future directions.