Abstract
BackgroundAlthough General Practice (GP) was recognized as a medical specialty in Greece in 1986, the number of GPs is insufficient to cover needs and only few medical graduates choose GP as a career option. In the present study we investigated the profile of medical students in terms of their decisions regarding specialization and the possible association of career choices different from GP with the status of undergraduate training regarding GP.MethodsThe sample consisted of final year students in the Medical School of the University of Athens, Greece. Students filled in a self-reported questionnaire focusing on medical specialization, and GP in particular.ResultsResponse rate was 82.5% with 1021 questionnaires collected, out of 1237 eligible medical students. Only 44 out of the 1021 (4.3%) respondents stated that GP is -or could be- among their choices for specialty. The most popular medical specialty was General Surgery (10.9%), followed by Cardiology (9.6%), Endocrinology (8.7%) and Obstetrics-Gynaecology (8.3%). The most common criterion for choosing GP was the guaranteed employment on completion of the residency (54.6%) while a 56.6% of total respondents were positive to the introduction of GP/FM as a curriculum course during University studies.ConclusionDespite the great needs, GP specialty is currently not a career option among undergraduate students of the greater Medical University in Greece and is still held in low esteem. A university department responsible for undergraduate teaching, promotion and research in GP (where not available) is essential; the status of undergraduate training in general practice/family medicine seems to be one of the most important factors that influence physician career choices regarding primary care specialties.
Highlights
General Practice (GP) was recognized as a medical specialty in Greece in 1986, the number of GPs is insufficient to cover needs and only few medical graduates choose GP as a career option
The focus of policy on improving the training of General Practitioners and on providing incentives to make the career attractive did not extend to encourage the creation of departments of General Practice/Family Medicine (GP/FM) in medical schools and the inclusion of General Practice or Primary Health Care in the medical curriculum
The purpose of this study was to investigate the profile of senior medical students in the largest medical school in Greece, the Medical School of the University of Athens (Athens accounts for almost half the country's population and for the half of students in medical schools nationwide), in terms of specialization issues, to explore the reasons why GP/FM is held in such a low status as a specialty among medical students in Greece, as well as to investigate on the possible relation between undergraduate training programmes and career choices regarding primary care specialties
Summary
General Practice (GP) was recognized as a medical specialty in Greece in 1986, the number of GPs is insufficient to cover needs and only few medical graduates choose GP as a career option. Since 1986, when GP/FM was established as an independent medical specialty, the attention of policy makers was focused on how to direct new medical graduates to choose GP as a career in order to provide primary health care for the country's rural, and recently urban, population [2]. The purpose of this study was to investigate the profile of senior medical students in the largest medical school in Greece, the Medical School of the University of Athens (Athens accounts for almost half the country's population and for the half of students in medical schools nationwide), in terms of specialization issues, to explore the reasons why GP/FM is held in such a low status as a specialty among medical students in Greece, as well as to investigate on the possible relation between undergraduate training programmes and career choices regarding primary care specialties
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