Abstract
BackgroundIn Japan, the absolute deficiency of doctors and maldistribution of doctors by specialty is a significant problem in the Japanese health care system. The purpose of this study was to investigate the factors contributing to specialty preference in career choice among Japanese medical students.MethodsA total of 368 medical students completed the survey giving an 88.2 % response rate. The subjects comprised 141 women aged 21 ± 3 (range, 18–34) years and 227 men aged 22 ± 4 (range, 18–44) years. Binary Logistic regression analysis was performed using specialty preferences as the criterion variable and the factors in brackets as six motivational variables (e.g., Factor 1: educational experience; Factor 2: job security; Factor 3: advice from others; Factor 4: work-life balance; Factor 5: technical and research specialty; and Factor 6: personal reasons).ResultsWomen significantly preferred pediatrics, obstetrics & gynecology, and psychology than the men. Men significantly preferred surgery and orthopedics than the women. For both genders, a high odds ratio (OR) of “technical & research specialty” and a low OR for “personal reasons” were associated with preference for surgery. “Technical & research specialty” was positively associated with preference for special internal medicine and negatively for pediatrics. “Work-life balance” was positively associated with preference for psychology and negatively for emergency medicine. Among the women only, “technical & research specialty” was negatively associated with preference for general medicine/family medicine and obstetrics & gynecology, and “job security” was positively associated for general medicine/family medicine and negatively for psychology. Among men only, “educational experience” and “personal reasons” were positively, and “job security” was negatively associated with preference for pediatrics. For both genders, “work-life balance” was positively associated with preference for controllable lifestyle specialties.ConclusionWe must acknowledge that Japanese medical students have dichotomized some motivations for their specialty preference based on gender. Systematic improvements in the working environment are necessary to solve these issues.
Highlights
In Japan, the absolute deficiency of doctors and maldistribution of doctors by specialty is a significant problem in the Japanese health care system
The gender ratio varied according to the specialty [4], and the preference rates for general surgery, orthopedics, neurosurgery, and emergency medicine were significantly higher in men than in women, while those for obstetrics & gynecology, pediatrics, and dermatology were significantly higher in women [5]
Women account for about one third to half of medical students and have become a growing part of medical schools in Japan as well as the U.S and Europe [6, 7], female physicians are still underrepresented in some specialties such as surgery and emergency medicine [8]
Summary
In Japan, the absolute deficiency of doctors and maldistribution of doctors by specialty is a significant problem in the Japanese health care system. In addition to the absolute deficiency of doctors, maldistribution of doctors among the various specialties is a serious problem in the Japanese health care system. In Japan, internal medicine showed the highest preference rate, followed by general surgery, pediatrics, and emergency medicine. The gender ratio varied according to the specialty [4], and the preference rates for general surgery, orthopedics, neurosurgery, and emergency medicine were significantly higher in men than in women, while those for obstetrics & gynecology, pediatrics, and dermatology were significantly higher in women [5]. Women account for about one third to half of medical students and have become a growing part of medical schools in Japan as well as the U.S and Europe [6, 7], female physicians are still underrepresented in some specialties such as surgery and emergency medicine [8]
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Free) 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a call
