What Does a Good Lifestyle Mean to You? Perspectives of 4th-Year U.S. Medical Students With Military Service Obligations in 2009

Abstract

Medical students' definition of a "good lifestyle" includes four themes, which should be used in future research of the lifestyle factor of specialty selection.

Lifestyle Factors and Primary Care Specialty Selection

“…The response rate was 57% (965/1,701 18,26 In October 2013, we published results to a 2012 survey of what first-year students' perceive as the most important determinants of a good lifestyle. Students rated enjoying work as most important and schedule control and work environment as highly important, whereas financial compensation was rated less important.…”

“…[13][14][15] The extensive literature on specialty choice consists primarily of retrospective analyses of the factors associated with fourth-year medical students' career choices. 2,[15][16][17][18] Few studies have evaluated how the medical training environment influences this decision by comparing how medical students at different stages of training think about specialties. Moreover, the two studies that performed such comparisons examined students who completed training in 1983 and 2003.…”

“…We based these domains on student-described themes (schedule control, off-time, financial considerations, and work life) identified in a qualitative analysis of what characterizes "a good physician lifestyle." 18 Next, students rated characteristics frequently considered when selecting a specialty using the same fivepoint scale. We identified 21 such specialty characteristics that had been used in prior studies to evaluate how fourth-year students select their specialty.…”

“…We identified 21 such specialty characteristics that had been used in prior studies to evaluate how fourth-year students select their specialty. 2,18,22,23,31 Finally, students were queried about their demographic, educational, and financial history. Students were asked to indicate their level of debt, intent to participate in a loan repayment program, and exposure to volunteer work, research, and the health care field through employment and/or personal experience.…”

Institution-Specific Factors Associated With Family Medicine Residency Match Rates

“…5 Students with an increased value on a "controllable lifestyle" are less likely to choose primary care. [16][17][18][19] Although student characteristics account for majority of the variation in the likelihood of choosing primary care, a school's primary care culture plays a measurable role in affecting a students' decision to pursue primary care. 20 Mentoring appears to support students with a primary care interest to graduate into a primary care residency.…”