Graphical abstract

Background Doctor role modeling is essential in the career development of medical students. We explored the various personal and professional contexts in which students are reporting exposure to physician role models, and the association of these contexts with their intentions to enter primary care or care for the underserved. Methods We surveyed 960 third-year U.S. medical students from 24 U.S. allopathic medical schools in January 2011. We asked respondents whether or not they had been exposed to role models during medical training and in what contexts students interacted with their role model. We also tested associations with career intentions, educational factors, physician relative status, and demographics. Results Adjusted response rate was 61% (564/919). Among the respondents, 548 students (97.3%) responded that they encountered a doctor during their medical training who displays the best characteristics of a good physician. When identifying in what contexts students were reporting interactions with their role model, the categories with highest frequencies were: physician who supervised on wards (69%), assigned preceptor/mentor (57%), preceptor/mentor whom the student sought out (26%), personal or family friend (15%), other (3%). Students who sought out their own role models were more likely than non-exposure students to report intentions for primary care (39.8% exposure vs. 31.9% non-exposure, p=0.05) and to report intentions to practice among the underserved (41.4% exposure vs. 26.9