Evidence map›Paper›PMID 42003270›Full record

ArticleThe Australian journal of rural health2026

Perceptions of Improved Wellbeing and Social Isolation Among Medical Students During Rural Clinical School (RCS) Placements: A Six-Year Analysis.

Minha Lee, Zelda Doyle, Tracy McFarlane, Jodie Bailie, Peter Simmons, Sari Dewi, Uchechukwu Levi Osuagwu

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Article in The Australian journal of rural health, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 1 paper.

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1citing papers in PubMed
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1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

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2 · The registry

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3 · Its place in the literature

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1 citing paper in PubMed.

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4 · The record

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5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

7 authors.

Minha LeeSchool of Medicine, Bathurst Rural Clinical School, Western Sydney University, Bathurst, New South Wales, Australia.ORCID 0009-0009-2869-5186
Zelda DoyleRural Clinical School, The University of Notre Dame, Lithgow, New South Wales, Australia.ORCID 0000-0001-8648-1383
Tracy McFarlaneSchool of Medicine, Bathurst Rural Clinical School, Western Sydney University, Bathurst, New South Wales, Australia.
Jodie BailieUniversity Centre for Rural Health, The University of Sydney, Lismore, New South Wales, Australia.ORCID 0000-0003-4393-5773
Peter SimmonsSchool of Medicine, Bathurst Rural Clinical School, Western Sydney University, Bathurst, New South Wales, Australia.ORCID 0000-0003-0985-5913
Sari DewiRural Clinical School, School of Medicine & Psychology, College of Health & Medicine, The Australian National University, Acton, ACT, Australia.
Uchechukwu Levi OsuagwuSchool of Medicine, Bathurst Rural Clinical School, Western Sydney University, Bathurst, New South Wales, Australia.

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

objectiveTo investigate the trends in the perceived social isolation and improved wellbeing of Australian medical students over a 6-year period (2017-2022) during their rural clinical school (RCS) placements.

methodsData were analysed using descriptive statistics and multinomial logistic regressions to identify the trends and factors contributing to perceived social isolation and improved wellbeing during RCS placements.

designThis is a retrospective, cross-sectional study of the 2017-2022 FRAME (Federation of Rural Australian Medical Educators) dataset.

participantsData were collected from 2915 Australian medical students who completed RCS placements.

settingRespondents were located at RCS placements across 19 Australian universities.

main outcome measuresThe main outcomes were self-reported social isolation and improvement in wellbeing.

resultsOver 30% of respondents reported experiencing social isolation. Factors contributing to social isolation were preference to practice in a capital city and lack of financial or overall support from the RCS, while lack of academic isolation was protective. More than 80% of respondents perceived the RCS placement had a positive impact on their wellbeing. Positive influences on wellbeing were associated with active role-modelling of self-care, support services and mentorship by a rural-based clinician. The COVID-19 years did not significantly impact perceived social isolation or improved wellbeing.

conclusionsMost medical students on RCS placements reported positive impacts on their wellbeing, while over 30% experienced social isolation. Targeted support strategies that reduce social isolation and enhance student wellbeing on rural placements may help improve rural workforce retention and address healthcare shortages.

Indexed as

Rural Health ServicesSocial IsolationStudents, MedicalAdultAustraliaCross-Sectional StudiesFemaleHumansMalePsychological Well-BeingRetrospective StudiesYoung Adultmedical educationmedical schoolmental healthrural placementsocial connectedness

Identifiers

PMID42003270
PMCPMC13093008

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LicenceCC BY-NC-ND
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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.