The Advantages of Practicing Rural Medicine
From the Physician's Perspective
Why practice rural medicine?
Most physicians who have practiced medicine in rural areas agree that the pace of rural health care is slower, and that their relationships with patients are better than they are in urban or suburban practice. Many respondents to LocumTenens.com's 2007 physician survey on "Practicing Medicine in Rural America" also identified benefits like easier commutes and a lower likelihood of getting sued for malpractice.
Comments from respondents to LocumTenens.com's 2007 physician survey on rural medicine included these:
"The connectedness between components of the care delivery system is closer and easier to navigate in rural areas. I have never found serious drawbacks to rural practice."
"Practicing in a rural area is more immediately gratifying. Many patients return, as do their friends and family members and you build a relationship over time…"
"Medicine in rural practice is clinical medicine. In an urban setting it is defensive medicine."
I like the independence and variety associated with a rural practice."
"If one is far enough away from the urban settings; the peace and solitude make up for the lack of 'urban' activity."
Expert sources offer a slightly broader list of advantages to practicing rural medicine:
1. Better Lifestyle
Slower pace of life
Greater feeling of safety for self and family
Less traffic and pollution
Shorter commutes
Equivalent or higher net income
Lower housing costs
Less competitive ("keep up with the Joneses") lifestyle
Closer proximity to outdoor recreational opportunities
Elevated status in community
Generally easier to keep "normal" work hours
2. More Collegial Professional Environment
Greater autonomy in practice
Slower pace of practice
Better relationships with patients and support staff
Less "cut-throat" competition among colleagues
Greater interdependence with other providers/facilities in the area
Easier to set up solo practice (lower cost) and build a patient base (word travels faster)
Less competition for jobs, promotions, networking opportunities
Less financial pressure-lower business costs (e.g., rent)
Generally, lower managed-care penetration
Lower threat of litigation
3. Greater opportunities for professional development.
Broader range of clinical cases--specialists in shorter supply
Specialists augmented by fewer sub-specialists (for example, orthopedic surgeon does extremity surgery, total joint work)
Broader opportunity to 'learn by doing,' rather than referring cases to others (Rural family physicians sometimes perform surgery, deliver babies, take X-rays, set broken bones, etc.)
Less competition for jobs, promotions, networking opportunities
Rural doctors often see families for generations, helping family members through new family beginnings and birth, illness and loss. As one seasoned rural doctor once told an audience of rural medicine students, "You sometimes become one of a family's most trusted advisors and friends, so you get to see, close up and personal, what a difference you're making in people's lives."
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