Promoting Interest in Future Correctional Health Care Employment Through a Jail-Based Rotation for Resident Physicians.

Abstract

Recruitment and retention of clinical staff in correctional settings remain a significant challenge. Few physicians learn about the provision of care within carceral institutions, most notably during their initial training programs when career trajectories are typically determined. A rotation for senior family medicine residents was developed in a county jail with an experiential learning curriculum that centers the needs of individuals experiencing incarceration. We investigated whether residents who completed this rotation subsequently worked within correctional medicine or cared for individuals in the community who had been formerly incarcerated. Residents who concluded the rotation between 2014 and 2020 and had since graduated from their training programs (N = 20) were invited to participate in an anonymous survey. Approximately 88% of survey participants reported caring for patients with a history of incarceration since completing the rotation. Nearly 18% reported having worked in a jail or prison after graduation. All respondents reported that they would consider pursuing correctional medicine at some point in their career. Findings from this study suggest that providing a brief but structured clinical rotation for senior medical residents in a jail or prison may encourage graduates to consider working with people involved in the criminal legal system.