| Learners |
Seek exposure to rural opportunities and especially any community one would considering practising in before committing Ask questions and seek training on billing and practice management Start planning for rural practice early and attempt to gain a broad skill set Make and maintain connections with other early-year physicians to support each other in both clinical and nonclinical contexts
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| Early-year physicians |
Consider locuming before committing to a single practice or community Be conservative when planning your schedule in your first year and be cautious not to overschedule Work with the local physicians and the community to establish reasonable workload expectations early on Actively engage in the community outside of practice through social events and activities
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| Physician recruiters and rural communities |
Consider nonfinancial incentives (e.g., nonfinancial logistical supports such as housing, child care and roles for spouses) Support physicians visiting their families with extended vacation periods and funding to travel or to bring family for key holiday dates Help physicians get connected with the local community by inviting them to events Manage workload expectations to support new graduates in terms of practice sizes and style Make your community attractive to locums as a pathway to future recruits Provide support for both children and spouses during transition to practice (including child care, job opportunities)
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| Medical education |
Incorporate rural communities into curriculum and placements in medical school and residency Incorporate billing and practice management into curriculum and consider strategic continuing professional development to support practice management once in practice Allow residents flexibility in their training to tailor their skills for rural practice
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| Government |
Invest in continuing education programs for skills development and maintenance beyond residency to increase confidence in broad generalist clinical practice, especially emergency medicine Provide funding such that new graduates can work in rural communities as a team to formalize the collegial support that benefits successful transition to practice Invest in rural health care systems and partner with communities to find solutions to local health care challenges Establish a user-friendly website for locuming opportunities that includes community profiles and what skills are expected
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| Clinicians in practice |
Provide mentorship for new graduates Manage expectations for new graduates. Be mindful they may be unable to work at the same pace or style as a more experienced clinician Provide committed, easily accessible emergency department backup to early-year physicians
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