Medical Students’ Career Choice and Attitudes Toward Psychiatry: Case of the Czech Republic

Abstract

Objective A survey among medical students of all medical schools in the Czech Republic was conducted to investigate attitudes and views of psychiatry and career choice of psychiatry. Methods A Czech version of the Attitudes to Psychiatry Scale (APS) and a questionnaire surveying demographic characteristics and choices of future specialty were distributed to all medical students of eight medical schools in the Czech Republic via the schools' internal communication systems in the form of an anonymous online questionnaire. Results Out of a total of 10,147 medical students in the Czech Republic (academic year 2019/2020), 2418 students participated in the survey (response rate 23.8%). Psychiatry as a non-exclusive career choice was considered by 31.3% respondents; child and adolescent psychiatry was considered by 15.4% respondents. Psychiatry as the only choice was considered by 1.6%, and child and adolescent psychiatry was not considered at all. The interest in both specialties was declining since the first year of study. The status of psychiatry among other medical specialties was perceived as low; students were rather discouraged from entering psychiatry by their families. They did not feel encouraged by their teachers to pursue career in psychiatry despite the fact that they were interested in psychiatry. They also felt uncomfortable with patients with mental illness. Conclusions Despite high enthusiasm for psychiatry in the first year of medical school, only a small proportion of medical students consider to choose psychiatry, and especially child and adolescent psychiatry, as a career at the end of medical school.

The impact of badmouthing of medical specialities to medical students

“…This was higher than expected, considering the rate of medical students entering psychiatry has been consistently maintained at 4-5% in the UK and USA (Halder et al 2013;Choudry & Farooq 2017;Goldenberg, et al 2017). However, it was demonstrated in other studies that positive attitudes toward psychiatry often do not correlate with actual numbers entering the field (Warnke et al 2018;Motlová et al 2020).…”

“…Psychiatry and its patients have historically been stigmatised within wider society, a possible causative factor in psychiatry's high rate of criticism. This may contribute to the negative effect of badmouthing on choosing psychiatry as a career (Qureshi et al 2013;Choudry & Farooq 2017;Motlová et al 2020).…”

“…Introducing psychiatry modules earlier on in medical education, perhaps through a spiral curriculum, could improve perceptions earlier, combat stigmatisation and badmouthing and perhaps make psychiatry more attractive to students. Multiple studies have referenced the perceived low status of psychiatry and general practice in the hierarchy of medical specialties (Eagles et al 2007;Pianosi et al 2016;Motlová et al 2020). Students have cited friends, tutors and families directly discouraging them from pursuing these specialties, with statements such as '[they should] have more ambition' than pursuing general practice and that psychiatry 'isn't real medicine' (Spooner et al 2017).…”

Self-compassion in medical students: a pilot study of its association with professionalism pressure

“…Out of a total of 1910 medical students at the Faculty of Medicine (the academic year 2019/2020), 301 students participated in the survey (response rate 15.76 %; mean age 22.3 ± 2.1, 71.8 % female). The female to male ratio among Czech medical students is typically 2 to 1 [ 21 ].…”

Existential distress in medical students matters: An exploratory pilot study of the occurrence of the existential distress phenomenon in Czech medical students

“…We did not track gender because it was not relevant to the survey aims. The female-to-male ratio among Czech medical students is typically 2 to 1 (17).…”