Table 6 Theme 4 limited resources
From: The influences of background on beginning medical students’ perceptions of rural medical practice
Urban background | • “The professional skills of a doctor may also benefit from lack of funding and resources, encouraging creative treatment methods and ideas.” |
• “Rural hospital is likely to lack the same resources found in a metropolitan area……this limitation forces a doctor to become more innovative, relying on their knowledge and that of their peers to improve patient outcomes.” | |
Rural background | • “…forced to adapt to the new situation; developing new skills that would not be in the skill set of urban doctors …towns with less sophisticated technology will allow for practitioners to develop new skill set.” |
• “Rural doctors tend to treat more patients due to the shortages experienced in remote areas. As a result, rural doctors have become efficient in diagnosing patients with the absence of additional evidence by developing history taking skills and additional research skills.” |