Career Specialty Choice Research Articles

The influence of individual factors on the career preferences and specialty choices of final-year nursing students

BackgroundStatistical evidence shows that nursing students prefer a professional career in hospital settings, leading to a lack of career interest in non-hospital settings such as community and residential aged care facilities. The lack of preference for non-hospital settings has persisted over several decades and presents a need for different approaches that may reveal new information to better understand the individual factors that influence specialty choices and preferences from the students' viewpoints. PurposeThe aims of this study were to (1) explore individual factors that impact the nursing specialty choices of final-year nursing students and (2) explore how these factors influence the final-year nursing students' career decision-making process. MethodA narrative inquiry approach using semi-structured interviews was carried out with purposively sampled nursing students (n = 12) who had undertaken a final-year clinical placement(s). Data was analysed using two main steps. First, the interviews were restoried and then analysed using the three-dimensional framework. Subsequently, thematic analysis was applied to generate themes. ResultsData analysis generated three main themes: demographic factors, social factors, and career goals. Participants' characteristics and interactions with other individuals and systems influenced their nursing specialty preferences and professional career plans. ConclusionNursing students' career interests are influenced by individual factors external to their nursing education, such as their age, gender, and life experiences. These student characteristics and experiences facilitated or inhibited a career in some nursing specialties, with the students gauging their ability to practice in a specialty during their CPs. Nursing education should expose and inform students about the core skills, career opportunities, and how to advance their careers in the different nursing specialties. Most importantly, final-year students may need formal career guidance to encourage nursing students' positive attitudes and career interests in different nursing specialties and make realistic career decisions.

Career Specialty Choice and Student Affairs: Paraprofessional Perspectives on Finding Their Career Path

Career Specialty Choice and Student Affairs: Paraprofessional Perspectives on Finding Their Career Path

The Current State of Undergraduate Trauma and Orthopedics Training in Saudi Arabia: A Survey-Based Study of Sixth-Year Medical Students' and Interns' Learning Experience and Subjective Clinical Competence.

Background and objective Students frequently complain about the lack of practical skill learning and the poor quality of the medical school curriculum. In light of this, the purpose of this study was to assess the learning experience and subjective clinical competence of final-year medical students and interns in the field of orthopedics in Saudi Arabia (SA). Methods A cross-sectional observational descriptive study utilizing an electronically validated survey was conducted, which included the following six main sections: introduction, demographics, self-assessment of competency regarding certain orthopedic skills, clinical experience in orthopedics, orthopedics curriculum assessment, and choice of future career specialty. Results The total number of participants was 794. Among them, 33% (n=160) and 37.1% (180) had attended no "trauma meetings" or "operating room (OR)" sessions respectively, and only 21.9% (n=106) had attended more than five clinics. Subjective competence in history taking was highest (mean: 8.925 ±1.299) among students who had received more than four weeks of orthopedic rotation and attended more than six clinics. The students who had completed more than four weeks of orthopedic rotation and more than six bedside sessions scored the highest in terms of subjective competence in handling orthopedic patients in primary care settings (mean: 8.014 ±1.931). Conclusion The survey indicates that the amount of orthopedic training provided by institutions varies, with some students receiving less training than recommended. However, longer rotations lead to greater perceived orthopedic competence. Students and interns with more exposure to orthopedics through curriculum and elective rotations demonstrated a greater interest in pursuing orthopedics as a future career.

The impact of community medical camps on medical students and graduates' education.

To investigate the impact of volunteering at community medical camps on medical students' and graduates' clinical and soft skills, knowledge of community health, and future career goals. The cross-sectional pilot study was conducted at the Aga Khan University Hospital, Karachi from July to October 2020, and comprised medical students or trainees who had attended at least one medical camp in a community-based setting organised by any of the two non-governmental organisations who collaborated in the study. Responses were obtained through a self-reported online survey from the participants. Data was analyzed using SPSS 25. Of the 52 subjects, there were 25(48.9%) males and 27(51.9%) females with overall mean age 25.4±3.8 years. Majority of the participants 35(67.3%) had attended a private first-tier medical school while 17(32.7%) had attended other local medical schools. Overall, 40(76.9%) subjects reported improved community knowledge, , 44(84.6%) had experiential learning and confidence in outpatient management, and 49(94%) had improved soft skills. Besides, 21(40.4%) participants agreed to have been influenced to pursue a career in primary care, and 25(48.1%) reported a direct impact on their choice of career specialty. Compared to males, females reported improved awareness and alertness (p=0.016), increased confidence approaching communities (p=0.032), and increased compassion towards patient care (p=0.047). Community-based medical camps had an overall positive impact on volunteering medical students.

Future career aspiration and specialty choices among undergraduate medical students of a medical college in Jammu and Kashmir, India – A cross-sectional study

Background: Medical education requires an undergraduate medical student to study a wide range of medical specialties. The number of postgraduation specialties as well as carrier options after graduation has increased in recent years. Hence, we sought to identify the postgraduation specialty choices, factors influencing these choices, and future carrier aspirations.Methodology: This was a cross-sectional study. Pretested self-administered questionnaire was used for data collection. Data were analyzed using SPSS IBM software version 20.Results: Majority were in the age group of above 20. Nearly 16.6% of the students' fathers and 5.9% of the students' mothers were having professional education. About 47.6% prefer medicine or its allied specialty subjects. About 43.4% wanted a job in the public sector and 30.8% wanted to adopt the private sector.Conclusion: Postgraduate specialty choices are still traditional with the majority preferring clinical subjects and wanted to settle in an urban area with a public sector job.

Relationship between medical students' career priority and specialty choice: A nationwide multicenter survey.

BackgroundThe shortage of physicians in several specialties has been brought to public attention in several countries. However, little is known about factors affecting medical students’ specialty choice. The objectives of our study were to illustrate medical students’ career priority clusters and to assess their association with specialty preference.MethodsWe conducted a nationwide multicenter survey in 2015 at 17 medical schools. The study participants were asked their top three specialty preferences, demographic characteristics, and 14 career priority questions. Multilevel logistic regression models were used to determine the effect of each variable on student career choice.ResultsA total of 1264 responses were included in the analyses. The top five specialty choices were internal medicine: 833, general practice: 408, pediatrics: 372, surgery: 344, and emergency medicine: 244. An exploratory factor analysis mapped the 14 career priorities into 3‐factor solution: “primary care orientation,” “advanced and specific care,” and “personal life orientation.” Multilevel logistic regression models yielded satisfactory accuracy with the highest ROC curve (AUROC) noted in surgery (0.818), general practice (0.769), and emergency medicine (0.744). The career priorities under “primary care orientation” had positive association with choosing general practice, emergency medicine, internal medicine, and pediatrics. The “advanced and specific care” career priorities facilitated surgery and emergency medicine choice, while reducing the likelihood of choosing less procedure‐oriented specialties, such as internal medicine, general practice, and pediatrics.ConclusionsOur results demonstrated medical students’ career priorities and their association with specialty preference. Individualized career support may be beneficial for both medical students and each specialty fields.

Career choices for obstetrics and gynaecology: recent updates from 40 years of national surveys of UK medical graduates.

SummaryObjectiveTo report doctors' early career choices for obstetrics and gynaecology, their eventual career destinations and factors influencing their career pathways.DesignMulti-cohort multi-purpose national questionnaire surveys of medical graduates in selected graduation years between 1974 and 2015.SettingUK.ParticipantsUK-trained medical graduates.Main outcome measuresCareer specialty choices; certainty about specialty choice; factors which influenced doctors' career choices; career specialty destinations 10 years after graduation.ResultsObstetrics and Gynaecology was the first choice of career for 5.7% of post-2002 graduates in year 1, 4.3% in year 3 and 3.8% in year 5. A much higher percentage of women than men specified Obstetrics and Gynaecology as their first choice: in year 1, 7.7% of women and 2.3% of men did so. The gender gap has widened since the 1970s and 1980s. In recent years, of those who specified Obstetrics and Gynaecology as their first choice in year 1 after graduation, 48% were working in Obstetrics and Gynaecology in year 10 (63% of men, 45% of women). Looking backwards from career destinations, 85% of doctors working in Obstetrics and Gynaecology in year 10 had specified Obstetrics and Gynaecology as a first, second or third choice of preferred career in year 1.ConclusionsInterest in Obstetrics and Gynaecology among UK graduates appears to be exceeding the demand for new specialists. Policy needs to address risks of over-production of trainees and ensure that some graduates interested in Obstetrics and Gynaecology consider alternative careers. The large gender imbalance should encourage consideration of the reasons for men choosing Obstetrics and Gynaecology in falling numbers.

Career choices for nephrology and factors influencing them: surveys of UK medical graduates

ObjectivesTo study early and eventual career choices for nephrology among UK medical graduates and investigate factors which influenced career preferences.DesignSelf-completed survey questionnaires mailed to medical graduates 1, 3, 5 and 10 years after graduation.SettingUnited Kingdom.ParticipantsUK medical graduates in 15 year-of-qualification cohorts between 1974 and 2015.Main outcome measuresEarly career specialty choices, career specialty destinations at 10 years and ratings of factors affecting career choices.ResultsAround 0.4%–1.1% of these junior doctors expressed a career preference for nephrology, varying by year of qualification and years after qualification. Among all graduates of 1993–2002 combined, 0.4% expressed a career preference for nephrology 1 year after qualification rising to 1.0% in year 5. Among graduates of 2005–2008, the corresponding figures were 1.0% in year 1 falling to 0.7% in year 5. Only 18% of doctors who chose nephrology in year 1 eventually became nephrologists. Of doctors who were practising as nephrologists for 10 years and more after qualification, 74% of the women and 56% of the men had decided to pursue a career in nephrology by year 5 after qualification. ‘Enthusiasm/commitment’ had a great deal of influence on those who chose nephrology, for all cohorts and all years studied.ConclusionsThe most recent data suggest that the proportion of young doctors who sustain an interest in nephrology through the early postgraduate training years may be lower than among their predecessors. Efforts are needed to reverse the declining trend and increase interest in nephrology.

Career specialty choices of UK medical graduates of 2015 compared with earlier cohorts: questionnaire surveys

ObjectiveTo report the career specialty choices of UK medical graduates of 2015 one year after graduation and to compare these with the choices made at the same postgraduate stage by...

Choosing a Specialty: Intersections of Gender and Race among Asian and White Women Medical Students in Ontario

Forty years ago, Bourne and Wikler (1978) wrote about the challenges women faced in medical school, arguing that women's specialty choices were structurally conditioned by the subtle discrimination they faced, as well as the masculine nature of medical practice. Since then the demographic make-up of the medical profession has changed: today, many entrants are not only women, but also members of racial/ethnic minorities. Have these changes affected women's medical specialty decisions? Adopting an intersectional theoretical lens, this paper explores the experiences and career specialty choices of White and Asian women medical students. We find that discrimination and concerns over work-family conflict continue to shape the specialty choices of women in medicine, but that White and Asian women's experiences differ in meaningful ways. Asian women experience racialized gender discrimination and distinct family pressures, compared to their White counterparts, complicating their specialty choices, and reproducing inequality within the profession.

Changes in factors influencing doctors’ career choices between one and five years after graduation: questionnaire surveys of UK doctors

Objectives To study changes in factors influencing doctors’ career specialty choices between one and five years after graduation. Design Questionnaire survey. Setting UK. Participants A total of 10,473 doctors who replied to our surveys both one and five years after graduating from all UK medical schools between 1993 and 2008. Main outcome measures The importance of each of 12 specified factors in influencing the doctors’ choice of future specialty ‘a great deal’. Method Questionnaires by post and email. Results Enthusiasm for and commitment to the specialty was the greatest influence on career choice at year 1 (66%) and year 5 (74%). Domestic circumstances increased in importance more than any other factor (from 22.5% to 41.3%); 26% of doctors rated this as important in year 5 but not in year 1. Other factors which increased in importance from year 1 to year 5 included hours/working conditions, experience of the job so far and self-appraisal of own skills. There was an increase in the importance of promotion/career prospects, self-appraisal of own skills, student experience of subject and enthusiasm/commitment for more recent cohorts compared with older cohorts. Between years 1 and 5, there was a greater increase in the importance of domestic circumstances, hours/working conditions and eventual financial prospects for intending General Practitioners than for other doctors. Conclusions Doctors remain committed to their specialty between years 1 and 5, but the influence of domestic circumstances and hours and working conditions grew stronger.

The perceived usefulness of community based education and service (COBES) regarding students' rural workplace choices.

BackgroundCommunity Based Education and Service (COBES) are those learning activities that make use of the community as a learning environment. COBES exposes students to the public and primary health care needs of rural communities. The purpose of this study was to investigate students’ perceived usefulness of COBES and its potential effect on their choice of career specialty and willingness to work in rural areas.MethodA mixed method cross sectional study design using semi-structured interviews, questionnaires, and focus group discussions were used for health facility staff, faculty and students and community members.ResultsOne hundred and seventy questionnaires were administered to students and 134 were returned (78.8 % response rate). The majority (59.7 %) of students were male. Almost 45 % of the students indicated that COBES will have an influence on their choice of career specialty. An almost equal number (44 %) said COBES will not have an influence on their choice of career specialty. However, 60.3 % of the students perceived that COBES could influence their practice location. More males (64.7 %, n = 44) than females (57.8 %, n = 26) were likely to indicate that COBES will influence their practice location but the differences were statistically insignificant (p = 0.553). The majority of students, who stated that COBES could influence their practice location, said that COBES may influence them to choose to practice in the rural area and that exposure to different disease conditions among different population groups may influence them in their career choice. Other stakeholders held similar views. Qualitative data supported the finding that COBES could influence medical students’ choice of specialty and their practice location.ConclusionMedical students’ ‘perceptions of the influence of COBES on their choice of career specialty were varied. However, most of the students felt that COBES could influence them to practice in rural locations.

Differences in residents' self-reported confidence and case experience between two post-graduate rotation curricula: results of a nationwide survey in Japan.

BackgroundIn Japan, all trainee physicians must begin clinical practice in a standardized, mandatory junior residency program, which encompasses the first two years of post-graduate medical training (PGY1 – PGY2). Implemented in 2004 to foster primary care skills, the comprehensive rotation program (CRP) requires junior residents to spend 14 months rotating through a comprehensive array of clinical departments including internal medicine, surgery, anesthesiology, obstetrics-gynecology (OBGYN), pediatrics, psychiatry, and rural medicine. In 2010, Japan’s health ministry relaxed this curricular requirement, allowing training programs to offer a limited rotation program (LRP), in which core departments constitute 10 months of training, with electives geared towards residents’ choice of career specialty comprising the remaining 14 months. The effectiveness of primary care skill acquisition during early training warrants evaluation. This study assesses self-reported confidence with clinical competencies, as well as case experience, between residents in CRP versus LRP curricula.MethodsA nation-wide cross-sectional study of all PGY2 physicians in Japan was conducted in March 2011. Primary outcomes were self-report confidence for 98 clinical competency items, and number of cases experienced for 85 common diseases. We compared confidence scores and case experience between residents in CRP and LRP programs, adjusting for parameters relevant to training.ResultsAmong 7506 PGY2 residents, 5052 replied to the survey (67.3%). Of 98 clinical competency items, CRP residents reported higher confidence in 12 items compared to those in an LRP curriculum, 10 of which remained significantly higher after adjustment. CRP trainees reported lower confidence scores in none of the items. Out of 85 diseases, LRP residents reported less experience with 11 diseases. CRP trainees reported lower case experience with one disease, though this did not remain significant on adjusted analysis. Confidence and case experience with OBGYN- and pediatrics-related items were particularly low among LRP trainees.ConclusionsResidents in the specialty-oriented LRP curriculum showed less confidence and less case experience compared to peers training in the broader CRP residency curriculum. In order to foster competence in independent primary care practice, junior residency programs requiring experience in a breadth of core departments should continue to be mandated to ensure adequate primary care skills.

UK-Trained Doctors' Early Career Choices and Career Progression in Individual Surgical Specialties

The planning of specialty training should be informed by knowledge of when doctors make decisions about their choice of career specialty. Our UK nationwide study of career choices showed that about 90% of practising surgeons had indicated their wish to become surgeons when asked during their first year after qualification. Career choices for the surgical specialties as a whole were compared with career choices for non-surgical specialties. We now report on early career choices of and career progression in individual specialties in surgery.

Assessing Scientist and Practitioner Orientations in Industrial/Organizational Psychology

This research develops and provides initial evidence of internal validity for a measure of scientist and practitioner orientations in industrial/organizational psychology (the SPI-IO). The application of this measure has various potential benefits, including the ability to measure students' needs, guide their development, and understand the influence of training on their career interests over time. We used the O*Net database to draw information regarding what critical work tasks are performed by industrial/organizational (I/O) psychologists --these work tasks were used to build items for the practitioner scale of the SPI-IO. Leong and Zachar developed a scientist scale for an earlier version of the SPI used to assess career orientations in counseling and clinical psychology. The scientist scale is composed of items that are also relevant for I/O psychology. Together, Leong and Zachar's scientist scale and our newly developed practitioner scale comprise the SPI-IO. In Study 1, we used the SPI-IO to measure career orientations in undergraduates and found support for the measure's construct validity. In Study 2, we assessed career orientations in I/O psychology graduate students. With the graduate sample, we sought to again support the SPI-IO's validity and also to determine whether the SPI-IO could account for more variance in career specialty choice (i.e., science vs. practice) than more general measures of career interests (i.e., RIASEC). In all cases, the validity and unique predictive utility of the SPI-IO was confirmed. In addition to reviewing these results in detail, we provide a copy of the SPI-IO and discuss its implications for use.

Net Present Value of Career Specialty Choices for Medical Students

Net Present Value of Career Specialty Choices for Medical Students

Student attitudes to psychiatry and their clinical placements

Background: Medical students consistently report low rates of interest in psychiatry as a career over time with negative perceptions of the specialty. Only 3–6% of students enter the specialty.Aim: To explore medical students’ current career choices and attitudes to psychiatry and factors affecting these.Methods: Medical students at four UK medical schools completed a questionnaire related to career specialty choices and psychiatry and their psychiatry placement experiences.Results: A total of 905 questionnaires were returned. Psychiatry was first career specialty choice in 4% but in the top three choices in 14%. The students in this group who had undertaken clinical placements were more positively inclined towards psychiatry, given more opportunities to practice and receive feedback on psychiatric skills, and more inclined to practice psychiatry later.Conclusion: One in seven students is interested in psychiatry. Psychiatrists need to find ways to identify these students and target them with individually tailored interventions to help recruitment into the specialty.

Long-Term Impact of a Preclinical Endovascular Skills Course on Medical Student Career Choices

Objective: Surging interest in the 0+5 integrated vascular surgery (VS) residency and successful recruitment of the top students in medical school requires early exposure to the field. We sought to determine the impact of a high-fidelity simulation-based preclinical endovascular skills course on medical student performance and ultimate career specialty choices.

Vascular Surgery is An Unattractive Career Option for Current Basic Surgical Trainees: A Regional Perspective

The workload of vascular services will substantially increase in the foreseeable future with the recent changes in surgical training presenting a challenge to training and recruitment in vascular surgery. This study aimed to determine the current feelings towards vascular surgery as a career choice from basic surgical trainees (BSTs) within a single region. BSTs from a single region were questioned. Probable career specialty choice was ascertained, as were suggestions for changes to the career pathway of a vascular surgeon to make it a more attractive career choice. Seventy-seven of 110 BSTs returned the questionnaire. Of the 77, 52 had previous experience of a vascular firm. Ten BSTs had been on a pure vascular firm as an SHO and 52 had been on a general surgical firm. No BST specified vascular surgery as their ultimate career choice. Career choices included general surgery (n = 30), orthopaedics (n = 17), plastic surgery (n = 9) and urology (n = 5). Thirty-three BSTs would not be tempted at all to a career in vascular surgery. Changes in the career structure that would result in BSTs contemplating a career in vascular surgery included the inclusion of endovascular surgery (n = 13), no compulsion to undertake a period of research (n = 5), pure vascular training (n = 2), more general surgical training (n = 2) and less onerous on-calls when older (n = 2). The lack of trainees wishing to become vascular surgeons is of grave concern. Increasing the endovascular capabilities of vascular surgeons as well as altering the stance on research may have an increasingly positive role in recruitment.

The Variable Influence of Lifestyle and Income on Medical Students??? Career Specialty Choices: Data from Two U.S. Medical Schools, 1998???2004

Recent reports on medical students' career choices suggest that lifestyle increasingly influences career decisions. The authors addressed the changing influence of lifestyle and income on career choice, how these influences differ by specialty, and the specific careers students identify as lifestyle friendly. From 1998 to 2004, 1,334 (73%) fourth-year medical students from Brody School of Medicine at East Carolina University (no. = 485 graduates) and New York Medical College (no. = 1,348 graduates) completed a questionnaire that addressed career specialty preferences, as well as income and lifestyle concerns. Students were asked to rate career choice influences on a four-point scale (1 = no influence, 4 = major influence). Factor analysis of these influences identified seven factors including one each for lifestyle and income. A total of 1,327 students indicated a career preference. Lifestyle (p = .018) and income (p = .011) were found to increasingly influence medical students' career choices during the study period. Overall, the authors found significant differences between specialties in the relative contribution of these factors. Students' perceptions of specialties existed on a continuum of lifestyle friendly (e.g., radiology) to lifestyle unfriendly (e.g., obstetrics-gynecology). Contrary to previous reports, the students' responses indicate they perceived the primary care specialties as lifestyle intermediate compared to other specialties. Lifestyle and income have become more important to medical students in their career choice, and the relative influence of these factors varies considerably between specialties. This study suggests that previous efforts to dichotomize careers into those with controllable and uncontrollable lifestyles may mask important complexities.