Exclusion by Design: How Academic Prerequisites Propel Australia's Rural Doctor Shortage.
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| Title: | Exclusion by Design: How Academic Prerequisites Propel Australia's Rural Doctor Shortage. |
|---|---|
| Authors: | Coffey-Oates, Alex1 alex.coffey-oates@curtin.edu.au, McNaught, Keith1 keith.mcnaught@curtin.edu.au |
| Source: | Australian & International Journal of Rural Education. Mar2026, Vol. 36 Issue 1, p213-227. 15p. |
| Subject Terms: | *Prerequisites (Education), *Medical school admission, *Educational equalization, *Medical schools, *Socioeconomic status, Rural health, Rural health services |
| Geographic Terms: | Australia |
| Abstract: | Australia faces ongoing rural medical workforce shortages linked to inequities in medical school access. Despite initiatives like the Rural Health Multidisciplinary Training program, academic prerequisites and university admissions criteria, disproportionately exclude rural and low socioeconomic status students, reinforcing structural barriers that challenge equitable medical education and rural workforce sustainability. The article aims to examine the multilayered barriers influencing rural and low socio-economic status student pathways into medical education, focusing on inequities linked to subject prerequisite policies. It uses a rapid review applying the Social-Ecological Framework to examine recent literature from Australia exploring systemic, institutional, community, interpersonal, and individual factors affecting rural and low socio-economic status students' access to medicine. Structural inequities in school resourcing and decentralised policies limit rural and low socio-economic status students' access to prerequisite subjects. Medical admissions reinforce these barriers through rigid requirements. Community isolation, scarce role models, inconsistent institutional support, and limited guidance further hinder access. Despite these challenges, rural students perform equally well once admitted, highlighting the need for equitable pathways and support. The evidence shows academic prerequisites create systemic barriers limiting rural and low socio-economic status student medical school access. The Social-Ecological Framework highlights multilayered inequities across policy, institutional, community, and individual levels, emphasising the need for evidence-based reforms to promote equitable medical education access. Rigid academic prerequisites significantly restrict rural and low socio-economic status students' medical school access. Evidence-based, coordinated reforms are essential to build a diverse, sustainable rural medical workforce. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR] |
| Copyright of Australian & International Journal of Rural Education is the property of Society for the Provision of Education in Rural Australia and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites without the copyright holder's express written permission. Additionally, content may not be used with any artificial intelligence tools or machine learning technologies. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.) | |
| Database: | Education Research Complete |
| FullText | Links: – Type: pdflink Text: Availability: 0 |
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| Header | DbId: ehh DbLabel: Education Research Complete An: 192862631 AccessLevel: 6 PubType: Academic Journal PubTypeId: academicJournal PreciseRelevancyScore: 0 |
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| Items | – Name: Title Label: Title Group: Ti Data: Exclusion by Design: How Academic Prerequisites Propel Australia's Rural Doctor Shortage. – Name: Author Label: Authors Group: Au Data: <searchLink fieldCode="AR" term="%22Coffey-Oates%2C+Alex%22">Coffey-Oates, Alex</searchLink><relatesTo>1</relatesTo><i> alex.coffey-oates@curtin.edu.au</i><br /><searchLink fieldCode="AR" term="%22McNaught%2C+Keith%22">McNaught, Keith</searchLink><relatesTo>1</relatesTo><i> keith.mcnaught@curtin.edu.au</i> – Name: TitleSource Label: Source Group: Src Data: <searchLink fieldCode="JN" term="%22Australian+%26+International+Journal+of+Rural+Education%22">Australian & International Journal of Rural Education</searchLink>. Mar2026, Vol. 36 Issue 1, p213-227. 15p. – Name: Subject Label: Subject Terms Group: Su Data: *<searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Prerequisites+%28Education%29%22">Prerequisites (Education)</searchLink><br />*<searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Medical+school+admission%22">Medical school admission</searchLink><br />*<searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Educational+equalization%22">Educational equalization</searchLink><br />*<searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Medical+schools%22">Medical schools</searchLink><br />*<searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Socioeconomic+status%22">Socioeconomic status</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Rural+health%22">Rural health</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Rural+health+services%22">Rural health services</searchLink> – Name: SubjectGeographic Label: Geographic Terms Group: Su Data: <searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Australia%22">Australia</searchLink> – Name: Abstract Label: Abstract Group: Ab Data: Australia faces ongoing rural medical workforce shortages linked to inequities in medical school access. Despite initiatives like the Rural Health Multidisciplinary Training program, academic prerequisites and university admissions criteria, disproportionately exclude rural and low socioeconomic status students, reinforcing structural barriers that challenge equitable medical education and rural workforce sustainability. The article aims to examine the multilayered barriers influencing rural and low socio-economic status student pathways into medical education, focusing on inequities linked to subject prerequisite policies. It uses a rapid review applying the Social-Ecological Framework to examine recent literature from Australia exploring systemic, institutional, community, interpersonal, and individual factors affecting rural and low socio-economic status students' access to medicine. Structural inequities in school resourcing and decentralised policies limit rural and low socio-economic status students' access to prerequisite subjects. Medical admissions reinforce these barriers through rigid requirements. Community isolation, scarce role models, inconsistent institutional support, and limited guidance further hinder access. Despite these challenges, rural students perform equally well once admitted, highlighting the need for equitable pathways and support. The evidence shows academic prerequisites create systemic barriers limiting rural and low socio-economic status student medical school access. The Social-Ecological Framework highlights multilayered inequities across policy, institutional, community, and individual levels, emphasising the need for evidence-based reforms to promote equitable medical education access. Rigid academic prerequisites significantly restrict rural and low socio-economic status students' medical school access. Evidence-based, coordinated reforms are essential to build a diverse, sustainable rural medical workforce. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR] – Name: AbstractSuppliedCopyright Label: Group: Ab Data: <i>Copyright of Australian & International Journal of Rural Education is the property of Society for the Provision of Education in Rural Australia and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites without the copyright holder's express written permission. Additionally, content may not be used with any artificial intelligence tools or machine learning technologies. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract.</i> (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.) |
| PLink | https://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&site=eds-live&db=ehh&AN=192862631 |
| RecordInfo | BibRecord: BibEntity: Identifiers: – Type: doi Value: 10.47381/aijre.v36i1.846 Languages: – Code: eng Text: English PhysicalDescription: Pagination: PageCount: 15 StartPage: 213 Subjects: – SubjectFull: Prerequisites (Education) Type: general – SubjectFull: Medical school admission Type: general – SubjectFull: Educational equalization Type: general – SubjectFull: Medical schools Type: general – SubjectFull: Socioeconomic status Type: general – SubjectFull: Rural health Type: general – SubjectFull: Rural health services Type: general – SubjectFull: Australia Type: general Titles: – TitleFull: Exclusion by Design: How Academic Prerequisites Propel Australia's Rural Doctor Shortage. Type: main BibRelationships: HasContributorRelationships: – PersonEntity: Name: NameFull: Coffey-Oates, Alex – PersonEntity: Name: NameFull: McNaught, Keith IsPartOfRelationships: – BibEntity: Dates: – D: 01 M: 03 Text: Mar2026 Type: published Y: 2026 Identifiers: – Type: issn-print Value: 18397387 Numbering: – Type: volume Value: 36 – Type: issue Value: 1 Titles: – TitleFull: Australian & International Journal of Rural Education Type: main |
| ResultId | 1 |
