J. Giacalone1, A. Berger1, J. Keith1 1University Of Iowa,Carver College Of Medicine,Iowa City, IA, USA
Introduction: Many factors contribute to an undergraduate medical student’s career choice; these factors are variable and often change throughout one’s education. Importantly for surgical programs and medical education, analysis of longitudinal information will help clarify the considerations that influence career choices at each phase of training.
Methods: This is the first survey of a longitudinal prospective study of students at the University of Iowa Carver College of Medicine. A self-administered questionnaire was distributed at the start of the first year. The questionnaire will be administered each subsequent year to the same cohort. The questions cover factors such as education related debt, mentorship experiences, healthcare work exposure, participation in research, and career preferences. Residencies classified as surgical include general surgery, neurosurgery, obstetrics-gynecology, ophthalmology, orthopedic surgery, otolaryngology, plastic/reconstructive surgery, and urology.
Results: 143 students responded to the survey. Thirty-six percent of students had a practicing physician in their family. Of those students with a physician in their family, 31 percent were interested in a surgical career, compared to 22 percent among students without a physician in their family (p=0.32708). While not significant, there does appear to be a trend of increased interest in surgery for students with surgeons in the family (orthopedics, ophthalmology, obstetrics-gynecology, general surgery) compared to medical students with a nonsurgical physician in their family (p=0.126). Some of the most important career-related factors for students interested in surgery include intellectual stimulation, quality of life, patient contact, potential salary, technical skill, and work hours. 85 percent of students had debt. Of those with debt, 39 percent felt it influenced their choice of specialty, although these choices were widely dispersed. Interestingly, only 5 percent of those without debt felt it influenced their specialty choice, reflecting a statistically significant difference between groups (p=0.00104). That said, students who plan to choose a specialty based on debt were significantly less likely to specify a specialty choice at the beginning of medical school, compared to those who did not feel influenced by debt (38.8 percent versus 22.3 percent did not specify a specialty preference, respectively (p=0.037)).
Conclusion: The current information portrays student’s early career preferences. Of the factors assessed, student debt and physicians in the family plays a large role in specialty role. While other factors are not significant at this time, this longitudinal study will uncover influential factors such as family influences, research and mentorship experiences, and specialty-specific expectations.