Investigating whether medical studentsʼ intolerance of ambiguity is associated with their specialty selections

Abstract

At one medical school in 1982, 175 entering medical students indicated their medical specialty preferences, completed Budner's Intolerance of Ambiguity scale, and supplied demographic information. Most (91%) completed medical school, and their specialty choices at graduation from the National Resident Matching Program were recorded. Initial specialty preference was a poor predictor of later specialty choice (R2 = .11). The students' intolerance of ambiguity was not significantly associated with either their initial medical specialty preferences or their specialty choices at graduations. This finding supports previous studies showing that specialty preferences changed dramatically during medical school, but does not reveal any support for a relationship between students' initial intolerance of ambiguity and their specialty selections.