Abstract
A model is proposed which conceives the making of career choice decisions by medical students as a process in which the student seeks an optimum match between the career alternatives open to him and his own preferences and life circumstances. The elements conceptualized in this process are the personal characteristics domain, the cognitive lens, the medical school environment, and the choice domain. These elements are given broad and fairly open-ended conceptualizations in order to provide a generalized framework within which to unify and guide respectively past and future empirical research. To illustrate the utility of the model in this respect, a general strategy of theory construction is first described and then demonstrated using the model as a cohesive framework. It is suggested that several heretofore distinct areas of investigation can be fruitfully brought together by the model in ways which can both increase our understanding of medical students' career choices and point the way to future research having theoretical and practical import.
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