Laven, G.Beilby, J.Wilkinson, D.McElroy, H.2006-06-232006-06-232003Medical Journal of Australia, 2003; 179(2):75-790025-729X1326-5377http://hdl.handle.net/2440/6210The document attached has been archived with permission from the editor of the Medical Journal of Australia (10 January 2008). An external link to the publisher’s copy is included.Objective: To determine the factors associated with general practitioners' current practice location, with particular emphasis on rural location. Design: Observational, retrospective, case–control study using a self-administered questionnaire. Setting: Australian general practices in December 2000. Participants: 2414 Australian-trained rural and urban GPs. Main outcome measure: Current urban or rural practice location. Results: For Australia as a whole, rural GPs were more likely to be male (odds ratio [OR], 1.42; 95% CI, 1.17–1.73), Australian-born (OR, 1.95; 95% CI, 1.55–2.45), and to report attending a rural primary school for "some" (OR, 2.21; 95% CI, 1.69–2.89) or "all" (OR, 2.79; 95% CI, 1.94–4.00) of their primary schooling. Rural GPs' partners or spouses were also more likely to report "some" (OR, 2.75; 95% CI, 2.07–3.66) or "all" (OR, 2.86; 95% CI, 2.02–4.05) rural primary schooling. A rural background in both GP and partner produced the highest likelihood of rural practice (OR, 6.28; 95% CI, 4.26–9.25). For individual jurisdictions, a trend towards more rural GPs being men was only significant in Tasmania. In all jurisdictions except Tasmania and the Northern Territory, rural GPs were more likely to be Australian-born. Conclusions: GPs' and their partners' rural background (residence and primary and secondary schooling) influences choice of practice location, with partners' background appearing to exert more influence.enHumansHealth Care SurveysCase-Control StudiesRetrospective StudiesCareer ChoiceResidence CharacteristicsAdultAgedMiddle AgedPhysicians, FamilyRural Health ServicesProfessional Practice LocationAustraliaFemaleMaleJournal article002003049910.5694/j.1326-5377.2003.tb05439.x0001845291000042-s2.0-004158966858803Laven, G. [0000-0002-9726-1754]McElroy, H. [0000-0003-3650-1141]