The perceived impact of curricular and non-curricular factors on specialty interests and choice during medical school at a single center in the United States

Karthik, Naveen; Greenfield, Marjorie; Otteson, Todd

doi:10.1186/s12909-023-04731-1

Cited by 5 publications

(2 citation statements)

References 33 publications

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“…Broad exposure to medical specialties is key for medical students to make well-informed career decisions [9,14,15]. Our study, which encompassed students from three urban settings, namely, primary urban centers, intermediate cities, and small townships, revealed a clear link between the size of the students' hometown and their exposure to their chosen specialty.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 79%

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Negative Impact of Smaller Hometown Size on the Educational Experience of Medical Students: A Nationwide Study in Saudi Arabia

Alkhars,

Al-Tayeb

et al. 2024

Cureus

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Background and objectiveSaudi Arabia's rapid medical education expansion has posed unique challenges for its students, particularly concerning specialty selection. Having broad exposure to medical specialties is crucial for making informed decisions. This study explores how the size of students' hometowns influences their exposure to their preferred specialty, thereby affecting their choice. MethodsOur cross-sectional study collected data from medical students in their 4th and 5th years, interns, and graduates across Saudi Arabia. An electronic survey gathered information about medical specialty choice, interest levels, students' self-ranking compared to their peers, and level of exposure to the chosen specialty. Overall exposure to specialties was quantified by tallying participants' experiences in preclinical observerships, didactic lectures, research projects, core and elective rotations, and attended conferences. We divided the students into three city sizes: primary urban centers, intermediate urban cities, and small townships and compared the outcomes between these three groups. ResultsResponses were obtained from 1,072 participants, with 424 (39.6%) from primary urban centers, 367 (34.2%) from intermediate urban cities, and 281 (26.2%) from small townships. Student hometown size was an independent predictor of specialty exposure, with students from smaller cities reporting lower exposure scores (OR = 0.73, (0.63-0.84), p<0.01). The study also identified gender disparities in exposure, with female students found to be correlated with a lower exposure score (OR = 0.72, (0.58-0.89), p<0.01). ConclusionCity size is a significant determinant of specialty exposure for Saudi medical students. These findings highlight the need for initiatives that promote equal educational experiences, ensuring comprehensive specialty exposure to all students.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 79%

“…The level of exposure to medical specialties has been identified as a significant factor influencing students' specialty preferences, which is the central focus of our research [9,10]. Specifically, we studied how the size of the students' hometown affects their exposure to their chosen specialty.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Negative Impact of Smaller Hometown Size on the Educational Experience of Medical Students: A Nationwide Study in Saudi Arabia

Alkhars,

Al-Tayeb

et al. 2024

Cureus

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

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Personality and interest in general practice: results from an online survey among medical students

Krauthausen,

Leutritz,

Koch

et al. 2024

BMC Prim. Care

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Background The growing shortage of General Practitioners (GPs) is a Europe-wide challenge, particularly in rural areas. In Germany, the situation is worsened by an ageing workforce of GPs and insufficient training of new doctors. Many newly qualified physicians choose careers outside primary care or prefer to work part-time to balance work and family life. To address this problem, it is essential to understand the factors that influence medical students’ specialty choice, and then to take action to encourage them to specialise in General Practice (GP). In addition to medical school experiences, rural placements, or characteristics of the specialty, personality traits have been shown to influence students’ specialty decisions. A well-researched approach to assessing personality is the Five-Factor Model, which measures personality on the dimensions openness (to experience), conscientiousness, extraversion, agreeableness, and neuroticism. Using the findings about the links between students’ personalities and an increased interest in a career in General Practice may be an approach to raising the number of GPs. Objectives We aimed to examine how students’ personality traits influence their interest in General Practice and their current intention to pursue General Practice as a specialty. Methods In March 2021, we started an ongoing online survey among medical students at the University of Würzburg and assessed cross-sectional data about the ‘Big Five’ personality traits and aspects of career choice. Until December 2022, we invited three cohorts of first-year beginners, and one cohort each of third-, fifth- and sixth-year students via email to participate in the survey. For statistical analysis, we performed linear regression and extended it into a path model to examine the relationship between students’ personality traits, their interest in General Practice, and whether they would currently choose General Practice for their future specialty. We controlled for possible confounding effects of age, gender, and current semester by using covariates. Results Higher levels of agreeableness and neuroticism predicted greater interest in GPs, whereas higher levels of conscientiousness and openness predicted less interest in GPs. The effects of extraversion were unclear. Age was a significant predictor of interest, with older age associated with greater interest in General Practice. Gender was not a significant predictor of interest in General Practice, and the results for semester were inconclusive. The interest in General Practice is a predictor of the intention to choose GP as a specialty. The personality dimensions show an indirect predictive effect on the intention to choose GP, mediated by interest in GP. In total, R² = 7.7% of the variance of the interest in GP was explained by the combination of personality dimensions and covariates. Conclusion Our study reveals that students’ personality traits predict their interest in General Practice and their intention to choose it as a specialty. Personality assessments can be integrated into counselling services to help students better understand their traits. Our findings highlight the great potential of considering personality in career counselling during medical education or even the extent of admission criteria to medical school by personality-related criteria.

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The Effects of Medical Students’ Learning Approach and Career Values on Their Specialty Preference

Vishnumolakala,

Larson,

Qureshi

et al. 2024

IME

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Recent studies have identified various factors influencing how medical students choose medical specialties. An important factor that has been overlooked is learning approach. For Qatar-based medical students aspiring to train overseas, specialty preference often hinges on the relationships between learning approach and career values. Structural equation modelling (SEM) was employed to explore the relationships between learning approach, career values, and specialty preference. Data were collected from two surveys of 108 medical students at Weill Cornell Medicine-Qatar (p-Q): the Revised Two-Factor Study Process Questionnaire (R-SPQ-2F) to assess learning approach and the adapted version of the How Medical Students Choose Questionnaire (HMSCQ) to assess career values and specialty preferences. The results showed significant correlations between learning approach, career values, and specialty preference. Surface learning approach correlated with seeking prestige, imitating role models, and valuing a varied scope of practice while deep learning approach correlated with interest in research and hospital-based careers. Our model accounted for variances in specialty preference to the following degrees: internal medicine (38%), family medicine (25%), neurology (27%), and psychiatry (18%). Medical students in Qatar adopt the learning approach that helps them achieve their career goals and matches their perceptions of medical specialties. Medical educators can foster a deeper learning approach by helping students to clarify their aims for pursuing a medical career, providing early exposure to medical specialties, and fostering a research mindset to enhance intrinsic curiosity. Students interested in physician research careers should be provided opportunities to pursue independent research.

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The perceived impact of curricular and non-curricular factors on specialty interests and choice during medical school at a single center in the United States

Cited by 5 publications

References 33 publications

Negative Impact of Smaller Hometown Size on the Educational Experience of Medical Students: A Nationwide Study in Saudi Arabia

Negative Impact of Smaller Hometown Size on the Educational Experience of Medical Students: A Nationwide Study in Saudi Arabia

Personality and interest in general practice: results from an online survey among medical students

The Effects of Medical Students’ Learning Approach and Career Values on Their Specialty Preference

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