Perceived Barriers and Facilitators for an Academic Career in Geriatrics: Medical Students’ Perspectives

Abstract

Objective There is a growing concern about a shortage of physician scientists. This problem is particularly severe in certain subspecialties such as geriatrics in general and geriatric psychiatry in particular. This study sought to obtain medical students’ perspectives on barriers and facilitators toward pursuing a career in academics and/or in geriatric psychiatry or medicine. Methods The study surveyed 27 first-year medical students from six US medical schools, who had demonstrated a clear interest in academic geriatrics by completing a mentored summer research training program in geriatric medicine or geriatric psychiatry, funded by the National Institute on Aging. The survey included open-ended and close-ended questions about likely career choice and factors affecting it. Results Sixty percent of students reported they were likely to pursue an academic career, 44% a career in geriatric psychiatry or medicine, and only 36% a career in academic geriatrics. The most frequently perceived barriers were a lack of knowledge about academic careers and lack of exposure to geriatrics, financial concerns due to loan debts and low compensation, and negative impressions of research and of working with older adults. Facilitators included positive experiences with or positive impressions of research and research mentors and of older adults, and the growing demand for geriatric care. Conclusions Attracting capable and motivated medical students to academic careers in fields such as geriatric psychiatry or medicine should be a priority in seeking to expand the numbers of physician scientists and to add to the healthcare workforce in underserved subspecialty areas. Necessary approaches should include opportunities to work in academic settings, availability of sustained and dedicated mentorship, early, consistent, and positive exposure to older adults, and financial incentives.

Preferences of nursing and medical students for working with older adults and people with dementia: a systematic review

“…These represented clinical skills and attributes of the students rather than objective knowledge and suggest that students may feel a personal deficit in their ability to work with older people that influences preferences. In medical students, one qualitative study found that a lack of knowledge about academic careers and experience with older people was the most cited barrier to pursuing geriatrics or an academic geriatric career [53].…”

“…In general, positive and negative experiences with older people, regardless of setting, were considered influential and regarded as a central theme for nursing [39,58,64,65] and medical students [48,53].…”

“…Students with higher preference also rated that the potential opportunity to pursue a Clinical Nurse Specialist role (within older people's settings) would be an influencing factor in their career decisions [42]. No support was found for medical students relating to concerns for professional development; in fact, one study noted that medical students mentioned the increased demand for geriatric care as a positive aspect of the career [53].…”

Enhancing Nephrology Career Interest through the ASN Kidney TREKS Program

“…[3][4][5][6][7][8][9][10][11][12][13] The Kidney TREKS Program was designed on the basis of these concepts ( Figure 1). Annually, 25 medical students and five graduate students are selected from a pool of applicants to join the cohort.…”

When Contact Is Not Enough: Affecting First Year Medical Students’ Image towards Older Persons

“…Older persons will be the majority of patients they have to take care of, as age is the most significant risk factor of functional decline, disease, and disability[2]. This demographic change presents a plethora of challenges; the increasing demand for professional and informal caregivers being one of them[3]. Although ageing is a consequential part of life, older persons are often viewed in a negative light[4–6].…”