See also RURAL TRAINING IN FAMILY MEDICINE
Gosh....I don't know that there is any one particular way; I don't
know what has been tried..and I have no program that I have tried to
recruit to....so, I am not sure if your response was a rethorical
question or if you are looking for something different than what you
have tried before...I am not sure if you are looking for the lengthy
brainstorm below which you may well write off as a seizure activity
of words and incoherent thoughts, but here it goes:
Is it possible to cluster visitation by potential resident candidates
around certain dates and to get out on your website some kind of
promotional event?
If there was a contest for candidates to express somehow in a
creative fashion why they feel this might be the spot for them, would
that give you some insight into the candidates? Better be a real
price at the end and better be prepared to truely appreciate the
creativity in those you meet.
Where are candidates staying when they come to visit? With the
residents or faculty, or in a local motel? Which gets better across
what your program is about?
A 13 yrs old daughter of one of my friends wanted to celebrate her
birthday a bit different....she rented an iron bull and gave all her
friends the opportunity to come and ride it...they had a blast and so
did all the parents who wanted to try.
Ooops...I suddenly see a Kansas City student/resident meeting hall
with all kinds of bucking iron animals and candidates being tossed
around in the air....somebody, please make pictures...;>)
Is there a way other than at the Kansas City Meeting for the
residents to go out and meet with potential candidates at the medical
schools? Is there a way to connect long before the match in a mentor
like fashion? Is there support and stimulation for residents to
actually do this kind of thing right and what are they getting out ot
this?
WHAT ARE YOUR RESIDENTS NOW GETTING OUT OF THEIR PROGRAM THAT
MAKES IT UNIQUE AND WORTHWHILE?..
Does your program have a mission statement that is unique and alive
as it is reflected in your program?
Are there REAL benefits to coming your program such as an added
financial incentive to join the rural program vs the non-rural
program? Or nonmonetary benefits such as opportunities to meet with
people who are on the cutting edge of some aspect of medicine at
large or rural medicine in specifics. Maybe the surgeon-general is
not available to come and lecture at your program...or maybe he or
she is..(never hurts to ask)..or maybe it is a matter of medium such
as a teleconference/phone conferencing.
Okay, that was quite enough for right now. Hope you found something
worthwhile
Sabine Maas, MD