Influences on final year medical students’ attitudes to general practice as a career

Abstract

INTRODUCTION: General practice is under-represented in student career choices. This study aimed to identify and explore factors that influence the attitudes of final year medical students to general practice as a career. METHODS: This qualitative study used semi-structured interviews of focus groups of final year undergraduate medical students at the University of Otago, Christchurch, New Zealand. Thematic analysis and grounded theory were used to interpret the data. FINDINGS: General practitioners (GPs) play a key role in influencing medical students’ attitudes to general practice as a career. Students identified their general practice placement during medical school training and personal contact with their own GP as principal factors. The media portrayal of general practice and the attitudes of friends and family were also influential. Students were positively influenced when they were made to feel part of the team, involved with consultations, allowed to carry out practical procedures under supervision, and witnessed what they perceived as good medical practice during clinical placements. Positive experiences often occurred later in training, when students felt more confident of their clinical abilities. While students reported occasional negative comments about general practice by some hospital doctors, these had a lesser role in influencing their perceptions of general practice compared with their own experiences, both as students and patients. CONCLUSION: GPs have a strong influence, positively and negatively, on the attitudes of medical students to general practice as a career. Effective influences include being made to feel welcome, involved, valued, and given legitimate roles during clinical placements. KEYWORDS: Career choice; general practice; general practitioners; medical education; students, medical

Medical student contact with specialty trainees: Missing out in general practice?

“…Previous literature has not reported a consistent influence of family member GPs on career choice. 4,13 The data is self-reported from students at a single institution. Findings should be confirmed at other Australian medical schools.…”

“…Specialty career choice is likely to be strongly influenced by exposure (particularly extended exposure) to positive clinician teacher role models in the student and junior doctor years. [2][3][4] Registrar teachers may be sources of high-quality information about training pathways and future careers, 1 and their teaching is valued highly. [5][6][7] A specialty with trainees less visible to medical students may be at a disadvantage in terms of its teaching impact, recruitment success and resilience to 'bad mouthing', 2,4 compared with other, more visible, specialties.…”

Medical Students’ Attitudes towards Careers in Primary Care in Singapore

“…A qualitative study was selected as the most suitable design to explore medical students' professional and career aspirations, the factors that might hinder or facilitate the attainment of their goals, their experience in and exposure to primary care, as well as their perceptions of the opportunities and challenges of a career in primary care. This method is effective in garnering a rich data as proven by similar studies conducted elsewhere such as the United Kingdom, New Zealand and Malaysia, which seek to explore the attitudes of medical students towards primary care as a career (9,10,12). This study involved 54 'clinical' and 'preclinical' students from all three medical schools in Singapore.…”

“…Beyond sharing the job scope, career trajectory and lifestyle bene ts of a career in primary care, GP teachers and mentors need to be encouraged to impart the clinical value of their professions to students and the importance of being a holistic doctor. Ultimately, drawing students to the core aspects of primary care will be more valuable than promoting positive lifestyle perks, which research has deemed less challenging and stimulating to students (9). Imparting the value of primary care as the foundation of healthcare and championing the vision of the profession as intellectually challenging and rewarding are meaningful and will help to sustain the true meaning of being family doctors.…”

“…the General Practice and Family Medicine workforce: recruitment initiatives need to be informed by a better understanding of the career aspirations of medical students, and their perceptions of the opportunities and challenges of a career in primary care. While many studies have explored the facilitators and barriers to teaching undergraduate medical students in primary care from the perspectives of GP teachers and trainers (3)(4)(5)(6)(7), few have examined students' exposure to primary care in medical schools (8)(9)(10). Although there are works on factors in uencing students' attitudes towards a career in primary care (8,11), the roles of medical schools, professional bodies and the medical fraternity tend to be discussed either eetingly or independently of one another.…”