RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN INDEBTEDNESS AND THE SPECIALTY CHOICES OF GRADUATING MEDICAL STUDENTS

PEDIATRICS ◽  
1994 ◽  
Vol 94 (1) ◽  
pp. 40-40
Author(s):  
J. F. L.
Keyword(s):  
Medical Students ◽  
Medical School ◽  
Residency Training ◽  
Specialty Choice ◽  
Major Influence ◽  
Educational Debt ◽  
Specialty Certification

Analysis of data from the 1992 GQ has shown that educational debt was not a factor significantly influencing most graduates' specialty choices . . . As a strong or major influence, debt affected the specialty choices of only 6.2% of the 1992 graduates who had decided on a specialty. However, for students with debts of $75,000 or more, debt became more important, having a strong or major influence on the choices of surgical (13.9%) and support (20.3%) specialties. Although the effects of debt on specialty choice were found to be small . . . it is disturbing to note that over 20% of medical school graduates have such levels of indebtedness. Length of residency training, as a factor affecting specialty choice, generally was a strong or major influence for only 9.0% of respondents. However, this number increased to 20.5% for respondents with debts of $75,000 or more who planned generalist specialty certification, suggesting that high debt turned students toward, as well as away from, the generalist specialties.

scholarly journals Role Models' Influence on Specialty Choice for Residency Training: A National Longitudinal Study

2018 ◽  
Vol 10 (2) ◽  
pp. 149-154 ◽  
Author(s):  
John D. Yoon ◽  
Sandra A. Ham ◽  
Shalini T. Reddy ◽  
Farr A. Curlin
Keyword(s):  
Longitudinal Study ◽  
Medical Students ◽  
Medical School ◽  
Residency Training ◽  
Role Models ◽  
Role Model ◽  
Influential Factors ◽  
Specialty Choice ◽  
National Longitudinal Study

ABSTRACT Background  Role models in medical school may influence students' residency specialty choice. Objective  We examined whether medical students who reported clinical exposure to a role model during medical school would have an increased likelihood of selecting the role model's specialty for their residencies. Methods  We conducted a 5-year prospective, national longitudinal study (2011–2016) of medical students from 24 US allopathic medical schools, starting from the middle of their third year. The primary outcome measure was type of residency specialty choice 4 years after graduation. Main predictors were the clinical specialty of a student's most admired physician and the relative importance of 7 potentially influential factors for specialty choice in the fourth year of medical school. Results  From 919 eligible participants, 564 (61%) responded to the first survey; 474 of the respondents (84%) completed the follow-up survey. We excluded 29 participants who were not in their fourth year by the time of the follow-up survey. Of the follow-up respondents, 427 (96%) had specialty data 4 years after graduation. In our multivariate models, exposure to an admired generalist physician prior to medical school (odds ratio [OR] = 2.21, 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.03–4.73) and during medical school (OR = 2.62, 95% CI 1.69–4.05) had the strongest odds with respect to training in a generalist residency 4 years after graduation. Role model exposure also predicted specialty choice among those training in surgical and radiology, ophthalmology, anesthesiology, and dermatology (ROAD) specialties. Conclusions  Personal exposure to role models in medical school is an important predictor of residency training in that role model's specialty.

scholarly journals Factors Affecting Specialty Choice Among Doctors Who Received Tuition Scholarships

2019 ◽  
Vol 51 (3) ◽  
pp. 276-281 ◽  
Author(s):  
Bich-May Nguyen ◽  
Gregory Bounds
Keyword(s):  
Primary Care ◽  
Medical School ◽  
Primary Care Physicians ◽  
Online Survey ◽  
The United States ◽  
Specialty Choice ◽  
Factors Affecting ◽  
Educational Debt ◽  
Medical School Graduation ◽  
School Graduation

Background and Objectives: The United States is projected to have a shortage of up to 46,000 primary care physicians by 2025. In many cases, medical students appear to select other specialties for financial reasons, including educational debt. Physicians who were part of two BS/MD programs and received full tuition and fee scholarships for college and medical school were surveyed to examine factors that may have impacted their specialty choice. This population of US students was selected because they do not have educational debt, so their choices could be examined independent of this influence. Methods: One hundred forty physicians who graduated from the programs as of June 2013 were invited to complete a 32-question online survey. Descriptive statistics described the population. χ2 tests and nonparametric Wilcoxon rank-sum (Mann-Whitney) tests compared primary care and nonprimary care physicians as well as those initially interested in primary care who changed before medical school graduation versus those who went into primary care. Factor analysis and Student t-test examined trends among Likert scale questions. Results: For the physicians for whom contact information was available, 74 (53%) responded. Out of 74 respondents, 18 (24%) went into primary care. Perceptions of family medicine, comments from faculty, and lifestyle played a role in deterring students from primary care. Conclusions: Full tuition and fee scholarships alone were not associated with more students choosing primary care.

Characteristics of graduating US allopathic medical students pursuing a career in neurology

Neurology ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 92 (17) ◽  
pp. e2051-e2063 ◽  
Author(s):  
Laurie Gutmann ◽  
Carolyn Cahill ◽  
Justin T. Jordan ◽  
Charlene E. Gamaldo ◽  
Veronica Santini ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Medical Students ◽  
Medical School ◽  
Selection Response ◽  
Specialty Choice ◽  
Work Life ◽  
Work Life Balance ◽  
Mentoring Programs ◽  
Life Balance ◽  
Factors Associated ◽  
Student Questionnaire

ObjectivesTo identify factors associated with medical students becoming neurologists because, despite the increasing burden of neurologic disorders, there is a growing neurologist shortage.MethodsDeidentified data from the Association of American Medical Colleges Matriculating Student Questionnaire (MSQ) and Graduation Questionnaire (GQ) were obtained for the graduation years 2013 to 2014 through 2016 to 2017. Logistic regression was used to assess demographic characteristics and responses to training and career-related questions in association with specialty choice (intent to enter neurology).ResultsOf the 51,816 students with complete data, 1,456 (2.8%) indicated an intent to enter a neurology residency. Factors associated with an increased likelihood of entering neurology were a student's rating of excellent for their basic neuroscience course and neurology clerkship, participation in an MD/PhD program, majoring in neuroscience or psychology as an undergraduate, a selection response of “content of the specialty was a strong influence on career choice,” and indicating interest in neurology on the MSQ. Factors associated with a decreased likelihood of entering neurology were a higher-priority response on the GQ for salary, work/life balance, and personal fit of the specialty.ConclusionData from surveys at the entry into and graduation from medical school suggest several approaches to increase the number of medical students entering neurology, including a focus on the student-reported quality of the basic neuroscience course and neurology clerkships, targeted engagement with MD/PhD students, and mentoring programs for students interested in neurology. Efforts to improve salaries for neurologists, to reduce medical school debt, and to improve work/life balance may also help to attract more students.

scholarly journals Institutional NIH Research Funding and a Culture of Support for Family Medicine—Their Relationship to Family Medicine Specialty Choice

2018 ◽  
Vol 50 (5) ◽  
pp. 369-371
Author(s):  
Arch G. Mainous ◽  
Maribeth Porter ◽  
Denny Fe Agana ◽  
Alexander W. Chessman
Keyword(s):  
Medical Students ◽  
Family Medicine ◽  
Medical School ◽  
School Environment ◽  
The United States ◽  
Specialty Choice ◽  
Medicine Clerkship ◽  
Educational Support ◽  
Negative Comments ◽  
Nih Funding

Background and Objectives: The United States suffers from a low proportion of medical students pursuing family medicine (FM). Our objective was to examine institutional characteristics consistent with a focus on National Institutes of Health (NIH) research, institutional support for FM education, and the proportion of medical students choosing FM. Methods: The 2015 CERA Survey of Family Medicine Clerkship Directors was merged with institutional NIH funding data from 2014 and medical student specialty choice in 2015. Institutional educational support was operationalized as (1) clerkship director’s perception of medical school environment toward FM, and (2) amount of negative comments about FM made by faculty in other departments. The outcome was the percentage of students selecting FM. Bivariate statistics were computed. Results: As NIH funding increases, the proportion of students entering FM decreases (r=-.22). Institutions with higher NIH funding had lower clerkship director perceptions of medical school support toward FM (r=-.38). Among private institutions, the negative correlation between NIH funding and the proportion of students entering FM strengthens to r=-.48, P=.001. As perceptions of support for FM increase, the proportion of students entering FM increase (r=.47). Among private schools, perceptions of support toward family medicine was strongly positively correlated with the proportion of students entering FM (r=.72, P=.001). Conclusions: Higher institutional NIH funding is associated with less support for FM and lower proportions of students choosing FM. These issues appear to be even more influential in private medical schools. Understanding how to integrate the goals of NIH-level research and increasing primary care workforce so that both can be achieved is the next challenge.

scholarly journals Perceptions of Medical Students Regarding Career Counseling in Korea: A Qualitative Study

2020 ◽  
Vol 17 (10) ◽  
pp. 3486
Author(s):  
Minsu Ock ◽  
Young-Joo Han ◽  
Eun Young Choi ◽  
Jeehee Pyo ◽  
Won Lee
Keyword(s):  
Medical Students ◽  
Qualitative Study ◽  
Medical School ◽  
Residency Training ◽  
Career Counseling ◽  
Counseling Program ◽  
Career Selection ◽  
Career Information ◽  
Specific Career ◽  
The Stability

Current medical school education focuses on acquiring appropriate knowledge with relatively little interest in developing the career selection skills of medical students. We investigated medical students’ perceptions of career problems and the required types of career counseling programs. Five focus group discussions were held with 23 medical students. The consensual qualitative study method was used to analyze the recorded discussion process. The medical students were more influenced by parents and grades than by subjective choices when deciding on admission to medical school. In future career choices, medical students considered the stability and feasibility of the career and expected quality of life. However, there were several opinions that it is essential to understand oneself. Objective and specific career information was lacking, and meeting with the professor was not very helpful for career counseling. Most medical students expected the effectiveness of the career counseling program but hoped the program would proceed with voluntary participation. Medical students wanted a variety of concrete and objective information, such as specialty information for choosing residency training, trainee hospital information, and post-residency training information in the career counseling program. Most medical students are not ready for career-related problems, therefore making it necessary to develop a career counseling program suitable for them.

scholarly journals Personality distribution of Canadian medical students: A first look

2018 ◽  
Vol 9 (2) ◽  
pp. e11-19
Author(s):  
June Harris ◽  
Donald McKay
Keyword(s):  
Medical Students ◽  
Medical School ◽  
Professional Identity ◽  
Identity Formation ◽  
Specialty Choice ◽  
Career Counselling ◽  
Professional Identity Formation ◽  
Medical School Admissions ◽  
Chi Square ◽  
Medical Graduates

Background: Personality is one of the key elements in professional identity formation and is self-identified as one of the top two influences for Canadian medical graduates when making a specialty choice yet little is known about the personalities of Canadian medical students. This study is the first to report personality data regarding Canadian medical students.Methods: Personality is one of the key elements in professional identity formation and is self-identified as one of the top two influences for Canadian medical graduates when making a specialty choice yet little is known about the personalities of Canadian medical students. This study is the first to report personality data regarding Canadian medical students.Results: The data were analyzed using Chi square. The distribution of personalities [Guardian, Idealist, Artisan, Rational] for medical students differs from the distribution reported for the general Canadian population. The distribution of personalities is similar for each Canadian medical school.Conclusion: Results from this first national accounting of the personalities of Canadian medical students suggest either that the personalities of medical school applicants differ from the general population or that personality affects medical school admissions success. Knowing the personalities of medical students could be important for medical schools in such areas as admissions, career counselling and professional identity formation.

scholarly journals Diversity of the physician workforce: Specialty choice decisions during medical school

PLoS ONE ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 16 (11) ◽  
pp. e0259434
Author(s):  
John Burkhardt ◽  
Stephen DesJardins ◽  
Larry Gruppen
Keyword(s):  
Internal Medicine ◽  
Medical Students ◽  
Medical School ◽  
Student Attitudes ◽  
Regression Models ◽  
Secondary Data ◽  
Specialty Choice ◽  
Medical Graduate ◽  
Student Body ◽  
Medical Specialties

Background Despite efforts to increase the overall diversity of the medical student body, some medical specialties have a less diverse applicant pool based on both gender and race than would be expected based on medical graduate demographics. Objectives To identify whether women and Underrepresented in Medicine (URiM) medical students have baseline differences in their career interests or if their career plans change more during medical school when compared to men and non-URIM students. Methods Secondary data analyses of all medical students who applied through ERAS from 2005–2010 was conducted. Binary logistic regression models with the response being a planned career in one of four medical specialties (internal medicine, pediatrics, OB/GYN, and general surgery/surgical specialties) at medical school entry and graduation. Regression models included demographics, student attitudes, debt, academic metrics, and medical school experiences. Results Comparatively, women were less likely to be interested in internal medicine and surgery and more interested in pediatrics and OB/GYN at matriculation. URiM students expressed more interest in OB/GYN and surgery when starting medical school. At graduation, women were less likely to plan for internal medicine and surgery and were more interested in pursuing OB/GYN and pediatrics. URiM students were more likely to plan for a career in internal medicine and less likely to choose pediatrics. Conclusions From matriculation to graduation, women have relatively stable preferences regarding planned medical specialties. In contrast, URiM students’ specialty plans shifted over time among the four specialties, with variation in preferences occurring between matriculation and graduation.

scholarly journals Relationship between sociodemographic factors and specialty destination of UK trainee doctors: a national cohort study

BMJ Open ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 9 (3) ◽  
pp. e026961 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ben Kumwenda ◽  
Jennifer Cleland ◽  
Gordon Prescott ◽  
Kim Walker ◽  
Peter Johnston
Keyword(s):  
General Practice ◽  
Cohort Study ◽  
Medical Students ◽  
Medical School ◽  
Specialty Choice ◽  
Academic Ability ◽  
Sociodemographic Characteristics ◽  
Specialty Training ◽  
Foundation Programme ◽  
The Relationship

ObjectivesMany countries are driving forward policies to widen the socioeconomic profile of medical students and to train more medical students for certain specialties. However, little is known about how socioeconomic origin relates to specialty choice. Nor is there a good understanding of the relationship between academic performance and specialty choice. To address these gaps, our aim was to identify the relationship between socioeconomic background, academic performance and accepted offers into specialty training.DesignLongitudinal, cohort study using data from the UK Medical Education Database (https://www.ukmed.ac.uk/).Participants6065 (60% females) UK doctors who accepted offers to a specialty training (residency) post after completing the 2-year generic foundation programme (UK Foundation Programme) between 2012 and 2014.Main outcome measuresΧ2tests were used to examine the relationships between sociodemographic characteristics, academic ability and the dependent variable, specialty choice. Multiple data imputation was used to address the issue of missing data. Multinomial regression was employed to test the independent variables in predicting the likelihood of choosing a given specialty.ResultsParticipants pursuing careers in more competitive specialties had significantly higher academic scores than colleagues pursuing less competitive ones. After controlling for the presence of multiple factors, trainees who came from families where no parent was educated to a degree level had statistically significant lower odds of choosing careers in medical specialties relative to general practice (OR=0.78, 95% CI, 0.67 to 0.92). Students who entered medical school as school leavers, compared with mature students, had odds 1.2 times higher (95% CI, 1.04 to 1.56) of choosing surgical specialties than general practice.ConclusionsThe data indicate a direct association between trainees’ sociodemographic characteristics, academic ability and career choices. The findings can be used by medical school, training boards and workforce planners to inform recruitment and retention strategies.

scholarly journals Knowledge, attitudes and sources of information on breastfeeding among medical professionals in Baghdad

2004 ◽  
Vol 10 (6) ◽  
pp. 871-878
Author(s):  
H. H. Al Nassaj ◽  
N. J. A. Al Ward ◽  
N. A. Al Awqati
Keyword(s):  
Medical Students ◽  
Medical School ◽  
Residency Training ◽  
General Practitioners ◽  
Medical Professionals ◽  
Sources Of Information ◽  
Training Courses ◽  
And Training ◽  
Better Than ◽  
School Curricula

A questionnaire to assess doctors’ knowledge, attitudes and training about breastfeeding was answered by 320 medical students, 75 resident doctors and 50 general practitioners in Baghdad, Iraq. Although attitudes towards breastfeeding were generally positive, less than 50% of medics had adequate scores on knowledge questions [>/= 50% correct]. Most general practitioners [86.0%] agreed that breast-feeding was the preferred type of feeding compared with only 58.4% of medical students and 57.3% of resident doctors. General practitioners who had been on training courses scored better than those who had not. The main sources of breastfeeding information were community medicine and paediatric courses and the main modes of breastfeeding instruction were lectures and clinical sessions. Medical school curricula and residency training do not adequately prepare physicians for their role in breastfeeding promotion

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