Principles of Recruitment and Retention of Rural Docs by Pathman http://www.tdh.state.tx.us/chpr/chprkeys.htm
1. lots of data similar to what has been collected before in the hopes of finding some new detail or a change from previous data Summaries of Practice Changes and the Potential Impact on the State of Nebraska
2. fewer numbers of practitioners, perhaps 10 - 12, to interview for 1 - 2 hours, preferably after you have spent some time in their office Current Concerns of Rural Physicians
or Building a Rural Practice - excerpts from my Article in Journal of Rural Health regarding this topic, interviews of 10 rural docs3. combination, doing 3 - 4 interviews then designing a quantitative survey to send out to dozens or more. not many examples , but use of Qualitative to develop themes, and then quantify them is very powerful and a good way to discover concepts not previously identified as well as their significance.
4. review or policy piece
Policies PC RME WorkforceRural Practice, Keeping Physicians In (Position Paper) -- ...
Research Methods and References
The Rural Physician Life Cycle A Useful Approach for Policies that Would Enhance the
The Next Step: Beyond Residency - presentation to residents about choosing a practice and adapting to it, also a good topic to research (how residents search for a practice), including a link to some research that a student did with me a few years back.