Background: Community-based rural education opportunities have expanded in Australia, attracting more medical students to placements in rural and remote settings.
Aim: To identify the factors in an integrated, community-engaged rural placement that may contribute to preparedness for practice (P4P) from the perspective of students and clinicians.
Method: Forty-two semi-structured interviews with medical students, supervisors and clinicians analysed thematically.
Results: Opportunities for clinical learning, personal and professional development and cultural awareness were reported by students and clinicians as key factors that contribute to P4P. Potential barriers in rural and remote settings included geographical and academic isolation, perceived educational risk and differing degrees of program engagement.
Conclusions: A longitudinal clinical placement in a rural setting may enable development of enhanced competencies leading to P4P. A rural setting can provide a unique experience through hands-on learning, enhanced personal and professional development opportunities and observation of the cultural and contextual impact on health.