Medical Specialty Choice and Related Factors of Brazilian Medical Students and Recent Doctors

Abstract

BackgroundChoosing a medical specialty is an important, complex, and not fully understood process. The present study investigated the factors that are related to choosing and rejecting medical specialties in a group of students and recent medical doctors.Methodology and FindingsA cross-sectional survey of 1,223 medical students and doctors was performed in Brazil in 2012. A standardized literature-based questionnaire was applied that gathered preferable or rejected specialties, and asked questions about extracurricular experiences and the influence of 14 factors on a Likert-type scale from 0 to 4. Specialties were grouped according to lifestyle categories: controllable and uncontrollable, which were subdivided into primary care, internal medicine, and surgical specialties. Notably, the time period of rejection was usually earlier than the time period of intended choice (p < 0.0001, χ2 = 107.2). The choice mainly occurred during the internship period in medical school (n = 466; 38.7%). An overall large frequency of participation in extracurricular activities was observed (n = 1,184; 95.8%), which were highly associated with the respective medical area. Orthopedic surgery had the highest correlation with participation in specialty-specific organized groups (OR = 59.9, 95% CI = 21.6-166.3) and psychiatry was correlated with participation in research groups (OR = 18.0, 95% CI = 9.0-36.2). With regard to influential factors in controllable lifestyle specialties, “financial reason” (mean score ± standard deviation: 2.8 ± 1.0; median = 3) and “personal time” (3.1 ± 1.3; median = 4) were important factors. In primary care, these factors were less important (1.7 ± 1.3 and 1.7 ± 1.5, respectively; median = 2 for both), and higher scores were observed for “curricular internship” (3.2 ± 1.1, median = 4) and “social commitment” (2.6 ± 1.3, median = 3).ConclusionThe present findings provide important insights into developing strategies to stimulate interest in specialties based on the needs of the Brazilian healthcare system.

Factores relacionados con la elección de una especialidad en médicos residentes mexicanos

“…Casi todos eran solteros y sin hijos. Menos de la mitad de los residentes tenía familiares médicos, lo que no parece tan determinante para la decisión y difiere de otros informes 23 . En nuestra investigación, la mayoría de los médicos residentes eligió la especialidad durante los ciclos clínicos o al final de la carrera: la exposición a experiencias médicas o quirúrgicas en la etapa clínica puede guiar la decisión hacia determinada especialidad.…”

“…En la fase cuantitativa se incorporó la información obtenida en los grupos focales y de cuestionarios realizados en otras publicaciones [13][14][15][16] , y se diseñó un cuestionario que fue aplicado en línea a los médicos residentes. Se obtuvo evidencia de validez de contenido a través de un grupo de expertos 17 que evaluaron la claridad y la relevancia de cada pregunta.…”

Characteristics of role models who influenced medical residents to choose surgery as a specialty: exploratory study

“…3,4,15 This influence appears to be exerted similarly in both surgical and nonsurgical specialties and has been reported in studies from different countries 1,2,3,6,7,14,16 Nevertheless, the findings from a study by Ibrahim et al 3 suggest that role models are likely to be more influential for those pursuing a surgical specialty than for those interested in nonsurgical fields. Whereas the latter group appears to be more influenced by factors such as length of training and lifestyle, the former group acknowledged the influence of role models, despite also mentioning factors such as prestige and prospects of financial reward.…”

“…These processes are important not only for individuals but also for healthcare systems, as they have implications in medical workforce planning. 1,2 A number of different factors are known to influence medical specialty choice, including gender, personality features, academic interests, specialty characteristics and training demands, curricular and extracurricular past experiences, financial aspects and lifestyle expectations. [1][2][3] Among these influential factors, role models, such as teachers, tutors and supervisors, to whom medical students and trainees are exposed, embody one of the most important influences on medical specialty choice.…”

“…1,2 A number of different factors are known to influence medical specialty choice, including gender, personality features, academic interests, specialty characteristics and training demands, curricular and extracurricular past experiences, financial aspects and lifestyle expectations. [1][2][3] Among these influential factors, role models, such as teachers, tutors and supervisors, to whom medical students and trainees are exposed, embody one of the most important influences on medical specialty choice. 4 Surgical specialties may be characterized as being physically and mentally demanding careers, with long and hard training periods, and with diminished potential for lifestyle control.…”