Lessons Learned as Thomas Jefferson University's Rural Physician Shortage Area Program (PSAP) Approaches the Half-Century Mark.

To help increase the supply and retention of rural family physicians, Thomas Jefferson University initiated the Physician Shortage Area Program (PSAP) in 1974. The program selectively admits medical school applicants who both grew up in a rural area and plan to practice in a rural area. During medical school, PSAP students have ongoing mentoring and rural clinical experiences. As the program now approaches the half-century mark, this commentary summarizes several important lessons learned. First, outcomes research is critical, and program leaders have been able to publish 15 papers and a book about the PSAP and its outcomes. Second, these studies have shown that the program has been highly successful, with PSAP graduates 8.5-9.9 times more likely to enter rural family medicine than their peers, and that the PSAP contributed 12% of all rural family physicians in Pennsylvania. Other similar medical school rural programs have had comparable success, with more than half of all graduates combined (including PSAP graduates) practicing rural. Third, long-term retention has a multiplicative impact. Long-term retention of PSAP graduates in rural family medicine was greater than 70% after 20-25 years. Fourth, research has shown that the admissions component accounted for approximately three-quarters of the PSAP's success. Three factors available at the time of matriculation (rural background, plans for rural practice, and plans for family medicine) identified almost 80% of all Jefferson graduates in rural practice 3 decades later. Having a peer group with similar backgrounds, mentoring, and the rural curriculum were also very important. Fifth, wanting to live rural appears key to the rural practice decision. Finally, given that medical school programs like the PSAP produce substantial increases in the supply and retention of rural physicians while requiring modest resources, medical schools can have a critical role in addressing the rural physician shortage.

Mask Use During COVID-19: A Social-Ecological Analysis.

To limit the spread of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention issued recommendations that individuals wear face masks in public. Despite these recommendations, the individual decision to adhere and wear a mask may not be a simple decision. In this article, we examine the decision to wear a mask from a social-ecological perspective. Through critical analysis of societal, interpersonal and community, and intrapersonal influences, it is clear that the decision to wear a mask is multifaceted and influenced by constructs including public health recommendations and government mandates, racism and cultural norms, geography, household income, age, and personal attitudes. Understanding the multifactorial influences on mask wearing during COVID-19 is crucial for informing the creation and distribution of inclusive public health messaging regarding mask wearing now in the midst of an unprecedented health crisis, and in future unforeseen public health emergencies.

Using focus groups to identify characteristics of an ideal work environment for Advanced Practice Clinicians.

Advanced Practice Clinicians (APCs) in collaborative practice represent a diverse and valuable group of health care professionals, including nurse practitioners, physician assistants, nurse anesthetists, and nurse midwives. Because these healthcare professionals have been identified as part of the solution to physician shortages, it is critical for health networks to examine and address issues affecting collaborative relationships. We invited our network APCs to participate in focus group sessions to determine both attributes and barriers to an ideal work environment. Four major themes emerged: (1) compensation, (2) network representation, (3) employment structure, and (4) workplace culture. While issues relating to compensation and representation were prevalent, discussions also revealed the importance of relationships and communication. To ensure successful collaboration and, thereby, reduce clinician turnover, leaders must address gaps between the existing and ideal states in structural factors affecting job satisfaction (Themes 1-3) as well as the behavioral factors represented in workplace culture (Theme 4).