There is a dangerous shortage of physicians in underserved and minoritized communities in California. To address this problem, the University of California (UC) developed Programs in Medical Education (PRIME) at each of their medical schools. At UC San Diego, PRIME-Health Equity (PRIME-HEq) students complete a master’s degree to complement their medical training and expand their professional tools to become physician leaders in underserved communities.

To evaluate the impact of master's degree choices on the practice patterns of PRIME-HEq graduates, we analyzed associations between type and location of master’s degree with practicing medicine in California, specialty training in California, independent practice in California, and working in underserved populations. Using IBM SPSS Statistics (Version 28) we measured frequencies and performed Fisher’s exact test for our variables of interest.

Since 2012 there have been 104 graduates from PRIME-HEq, 88 who completed a master’s degree with 62 in public health (MPH). Other exemplar degrees obtained included degrees in advanced studies/sciences (17), education (4), and healthcare leadership (3). Forty-four (50%) earned their master’s degree in California and 66 (75%) work with underserved populations. There was no statistically significant association between obtaining a master’s degree in California and practicing medicine in California nor with underserved populations. Those who obtained a MPH were more likely to practice medicine in California (75.8% vs 42.3%, p=.003) compared to those who earned other degrees, but just as likely to care for underserved populations (80.6% vs. 61.5%, p=.103). Further analysis of the 43 independent practitioners showed these patterns persist including a greater likelihood of practicing medicine in California (77.4% vs 41.7%, p=.035).

Our analysis demonstrates that the majority of PRIME-HEq graduates work with underserved populations regardless of their chosen master’s degree. Amongst PRIME-HEq graduates, the MPH was the degree of choice and those with this degree were more likely to work in California. Interestingly, the location in which the master’s degree was completed had no impact on practice patterns. Although this analysis did not control for potential confounding variables, these findings are important to take into consideration for program and health workforce development.