Table 1 Inclusion and exclusion criteria for stage two (scoping review)

Medical school

• School leaver medical programs

• Graduate entry (following university study) medical programs

• Provisional entry (Entry to medical school is granted prior to the undergraduate degree, pending satisfactory academic performance) and lateral entry (students apply during their undergraduate degree for provisional entry to medical school) medical programs

• Other health programs (e.g., nursing, allied health, dentistry)

• Additional training completed after medical school (e.g., specialty/vocational training)

Admission/selection elements and associated processes

• Any admission elements or processes used to screen or select applicants at any stage of admissions

• Assessment of cognitive or non-cognitive outcomes used at any stage of admissions

• Any other elements or processes not specified in the inclusion criteria

Rural origin/rural interest/social accountability

• Studies reporting data from only rural applicants, as determined by the medical school or government definition of rural origin

• Studies reporting comparative data from rural and metropolitan applicants, as determined by the medical school or government definition of rural origin

• Studies reporting data relating to rural interest or openness to rural practice, measured at admission

• Studies reporting data from metropolitan applicants only

• Studies reporting aggregated data from rural and metropolitan applicants

• Studies reporting data relating to rural interest or openness to rural practice measured after being admitted to the medical program

• Studies reporting data relating to social accountability but without an explicit rural focus

Other

• Quantitative, qualitative, or mixed methods study designs

• Published on or after 01/01/2003

• Published in English

• Original research (including theses)

• Reviews or meta-analyses

• Editorials and commentaries

• Conference abstracts/papers

• Research protocols

• Non-peer-reviewed sources