Factors influencing medical interns trained at U.W.I. to work subsequently in a rural area in Jamaica.

Recognising the present paucity of doctors trained at the University of the West Indies who are working in rural government health facilities in Jamaica, and its impact on the health services, this study was done to determine the factors influencing the decision of UWI-trained interns to work in these facilities post-internship. A questionnaire was administered to 57 UWI-trained medical graduates presently doing their internship in Jamaica. The results showed that there was no significant difference in the choice of placement with respect to sex, or residential background of the intern, though the latter seemed to indicate a trend. Of those who thought they would work in a rural government health facility, two-thirds would do so immediately post-internship but 50% did not plan to work there for more than five years. Opportunities for postgraduate training and lack of equipment were the most important deterrents to working in a rural government health facility.