{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,1,11]],"date-time":"2026-01-11T02:40:43Z","timestamp":1768099243931,"version":"3.49.0"},"reference-count":17,"publisher":"Frontiers Media SA","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2025,7,23]],"date-time":"2025-07-23T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1753228800000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0\/"}],"content-domain":{"domain":["frontiersin.org"],"crossmark-restriction":true},"short-container-title":["Front. Med."],"abstract":"Background<\/jats:title>Addressing rural healthcare workforce shortages requires evidence-based strategies in medical education. Extended rural immersion programs offer a potential solution, but the optimal duration for fostering long-term regional and rural practice remains unclear.<\/jats:p><\/jats:sec>Methods<\/jats:title>This retrospective study evaluates the impact of one-year versus three-year rural immersion experiences at the University of Melbourne\u2019s Rural Clinical School (RCS) on graduate clinical practice locations of the 2016\u20132023 graduating cohorts. Using logistic regression analysis, we assessed key predictors of regional and rural practice, including rural immersion duration and intent to practice regionally or rurally.<\/jats:p><\/jats:sec>Results<\/jats:title>Graduates who completed the three-year rural immersion program were significantly more likely to practice in Modified Monash Model (MMM) 2\u20137 areas than those with only one year of rural immersion. Intent to practice regionally or rurally and completing a regional\/rural internship emerged as strong predictors of regional\/rural practice. However, regional\/rural intent did not appear to be a strong indicator for students who only completed 1-year of rural immersion. This highlights the importance of the duration of immersion.<\/jats:p><\/jats:sec>Conclusion<\/jats:title>The study demonstrates the effectiveness of extended rural immersion in increasing regional and rural workforce retention. Findings support further investment in rural medical education, including end-to-end rural training models, which integrates rural exposure across the entire medical education journey. Future research should examine long-term workforce retention and strategies for sustaining rural career pathways.<\/jats:p><\/jats:sec>","DOI":"10.3389\/fmed.2025.1587912","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2025,7,23]],"date-time":"2025-07-23T05:35:52Z","timestamp":1753248952000},"update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.3389\/crossmark-policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":1,"title":["Immersion to impact: does one or three years of rural immersion influence graduate clinical practice intentions and locations?"],"prefix":"10.3389","volume":"12","author":[{"given":"Will","family":"Harvey","sequence":"first","affiliation":[],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Zahra","family":"Ali","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Lachlan","family":"Van Schaik","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Tamekha","family":"Develyn","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Julian","family":"Wright","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]}],"member":"1965","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2025,7,23]]},"reference":[{"key":"B1","year":"2024","journal-title":"Rural and Remote Health."},{"key":"B2","year":"2021","journal-title":"National Medical Workforce Strategy 2021-2031."},{"key":"B3","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"7454","DOI":"10.34172\/ijhpm.2023.7454","article-title":"Characteristics of medical deserts and approaches to mitigate their health workforce issues: A scoping review of empirical studies in Western Countries.","volume":"12","author":"Flinterman","year":"2023","journal-title":"Int J Health Policy Manag"},{"key":"B4","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"e086850","DOI":"10.1136\/bmjopen-2024-086850","article-title":"Association between rural exposure\/experience and practice location 10 years postgraduation, stratified by specialty: Evidence from a cohort study of graduates from nine Australian universities.","volume":"14","author":"Seal","year":"2024","journal-title":"BMJ Open"},{"key":"B5","year":"2025","journal-title":"Modified Monash Model."},{"key":"B6","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"e013059","DOI":"10.1136\/bmjopen-2016-013059","article-title":"Are differences in travel time or distance to healthcare for adults in global north countries associated with an impact on health outcomes? A systematic review.","volume":"6","author":"Kelly","year":"2016","journal-title":"BMJ Open"},{"key":"B7","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"377","DOI":"10.1111\/ajr.13099","article-title":"Positive change in intent to practice rurally is strongly associated with nursing and allied health students of metropolitan origin after rural clinical placement.","volume":"32","author":"Glenister","year":"2024","journal-title":"Aust J Rural Health"},{"key":"B8","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"2022","DOI":"10.34172\/ijhpm.2021.160","article-title":"Strategies to facilitate improved recruitment, development, and retention of the rural and remote medical workforce: A scoping Review.","volume":"11","author":"Noya","year":"2022","journal-title":"Int J Health Policy Manag"},{"key":"B9","year":"2010","journal-title":"Increasing Accss to Health Workers in Remote and Rural Areas Through Improved Retention: Global Policy Recommendations."},{"key":"B10","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"210","DOI":"10.1111\/ajr.12324","article-title":"Interest in rural clinical school is not enough: Participation is necessary to predict an ultimate rural practice location.","volume":"25","author":"Playford","year":"2017","journal-title":"Aust J Rural Health."},{"key":"B11","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"520","DOI":"10.1080\/0142159X.2017.1297893","article-title":"Comparing a longitudinal integrated clerkship with traditional hospital-based rotations in a rural setting.","volume":"39","author":"Caygill","year":"2017","journal-title":"Med Teach"},{"key":"B12","year":"2024","journal-title":"Regulating Australia\u2019s Health Practitioners."},{"key":"B13","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"572","DOI":"10.5694\/mja2.51476","article-title":"Influence of rural clinical school experience and rural origin on practising in rural communities five and eight years after graduation.","volume":"216","author":"Seal","year":"2022","journal-title":"Med J Aust"},{"key":"B14","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"100","DOI":"10.22605\/RRH2991","article-title":"Outcomes of Australian rural clinical schools: A decade of success building the rural medical workforce through the education and training continuum.","volume":"15","author":"Greenhill","year":"2015","journal-title":"Rural Remote Health."},{"key":"B15","author":"Cowie","year":"2024","journal-title":"Feedback to the Review of Section 19AB and District of Workforce Shortage (DWS) Classification System."},{"key":"B16","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"512","DOI":"10.1080\/0142159X.2017.1297530","article-title":"Tolerance of ambiguity, perfectionism and resilience are associated with personality profiles of medical students oriented to rural practice.","volume":"39","author":"Eley","year":"2017","journal-title":"Med Teach"},{"key":"B17","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"8306","DOI":"10.22605\/RRH8306","article-title":"The Murray-Darling Medical Schools Network Research Collaboration: Protocol for a longitudinal, multi-university program of work to explore the effect of rurally based medical school programs in the Murray-Darling region.","volume":"24","author":"Turner","year":"2024","journal-title":"Rural Remote Health"}],"container-title":["Frontiers in Medicine"],"original-title":[],"link":[{"URL":"https:\/\/www.frontiersin.org\/articles\/10.3389\/fmed.2025.1587912\/full","content-type":"unspecified","content-version":"vor","intended-application":"similarity-checking"}],"deposited":{"date-parts":[[2025,7,23]],"date-time":"2025-07-23T05:35:53Z","timestamp":1753248953000},"score":1,"resource":{"primary":{"URL":"https:\/\/www.frontiersin.org\/articles\/10.3389\/fmed.2025.1587912\/full"}},"subtitle":[],"short-title":[],"issued":{"date-parts":[[2025,7,23]]},"references-count":17,"alternative-id":["10.3389\/fmed.2025.1587912"],"URL":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.3389\/fmed.2025.1587912","relation":{},"ISSN":["2296-858X"],"issn-type":[{"value":"2296-858X","type":"electronic"}],"subject":[],"published":{"date-parts":[[2025,7,23]]},"article-number":"1587912"}}