The distribution of rural female generalist physicians in the United States

Female physicians are underrepresented in rural areas. What impact might th e increasing proportion of women have on the rural physician shortage? To b egin addressing this question, we present data describing the geographic di stribution of female physicians in the United States. We examine the geogra phic distribution of all active U.S. allopathic physicians recorded in the October 1996 update of the American Medical Association Physician Masterfil e. Percentages and numbers of female physicians by professional activity, s pecialty type, and geographic location are reported. Findings reveal there were fewer than 7,000 female allopathic physicians practicing in rural Amer ica in 1996. The proportion of generalist female physicians who practice in rural settings was significantly lower than the proportion who practice in urban locations. Although members of then most recent 10-year medical scho ol graduation cohort of female generalist physicians remained significantly underrepresented in rural areas. States varied dramatically in rural femal e generalist underrepresentation. Should female generalists continue to be underrepresented in rural locations, the rural physician shortage will nit be resolved quickly. Effective strategies to improve rural female physician placement and retention need to be identified and implemented to improve r ural access to physician care.