Influence of familial status on medical graduates’ motivation for choosing a surgical career

Abstract

Background: Medical students' interest in surgery is declining. The identification of factors that influence the choice of specialty may be used to create strategies to increase its attractiveness. This study aims to determine the influence of familial status on medical students' motivation for choosing surgical career.Methods: We prospectively surveyed medical students from the last 2 years of medical school regarding their career choice for residency and familial status. We sent a questionnaire to 149 students regarding: demographic data, the type of program chosen for residence, and the main motivation for their choice. Results:The programs chosen for the area of residence were: general surgery for 16 (11%), other areas for 100 (67%) students [18 (18% of other areas, 12% of the total) internal medicine; 15 (15% of other areas, 10% of the total) gynecology and obstetrics; 13 (13% of other areas, 9% of the total) otorhinolaryngology/ ophthalmology; 13 (13% of other areas, 9% of the total) pediatrics; 10 (10% of other areas, 7% of the total) psychiatry, 4 (4% of other areas, 3% of the total) orthopedics, and 25 (25% of other areas, 17% of the total) others] and 33 (22%) had not made a choice. Demographic data was similar between the groups. Motivation for choosing the program was only based on personal satisfaction. Familial status (family history on medicine and family income) was not different between groups.Conclusions: Familial status did not influence the students' choice of a surgical career. The only important motivation was the personal satisfaction.