This study contributes to the current understanding of what drives physicians to practice in rural areas by analyzing new, comprehensive survey data of practicing physicians in the United States. This research confirmed that rural origin is a powerful and reliable predictor for rural practice and revealed that new and experienced physicians have different priorities regarding location choice. Physicians choosing rural practice locations are more likely to be motivated by compensation, the resemblance of the environment to the one they grew up in, patient needs, and prenegotiated service obligations or visa/immigration status. They are less likely to attribute their location choice to social network proximity. These findings have important implications for salary incentives and policy initiatives aimed at increasing the rural physician workforce. The results of this study will help decrypt the difficulties rural areas face in attracting and retaining medical and other professionals and inform policy development.

本研究通过分析美国执业医师的新的、全面的调查数据，有助于目前了解推动医师在农村地区执业的原因。这项研究证实了农村出身是农村实践的一个强大而可靠的预测因素，并揭示了新老医生在地点选择方面的优先级不同。选择农村执业地点的医生更有可能受到薪酬、环境与他们长大的环境的相似性、患者需求以及预先协商的服务义务或签证/移民身份的激励。他们不太可能将他们的位置选择归因于社交网络的邻近性。这些发现对旨在增加农村医生劳动力的薪酬激励和政策举措具有重要意义。