Specialty Preferences Research Articles

Specialty Choice among Final-Year Medical Students at Taif University

Introduction: In Saudi Arabia (SA), the most important issue for senior students during their modules and hospital training is choosing a medical specialty. Because many factors influence this process, the primary goal of this study was to determine participants’ preferred specialty, location, and other influencing factors. Materials and Methods: This cross-sectional study involved 6th-year students from the medical schools in Taif city, SA, conducted from November 2020 to June 2021. Baseline characteristics, specialties of interest, place, and psychological aspects of their interests were all evaluated via a self-reported questionnaire. Results: One hundred forty of 200 surveyed students responded (70% response rate). About 44.3% were females, and 55.7% were male, with a mean grade point average of 3.5/4.0 and were all from Taif University. Nearly 86.4% were interested in SA’s local training programs, and the most preferred hospital for residency program was the Ministry of Health (37.1%), while the most preferred region inside SA was the western region (61.4%). The preferred medical specialties were family medicine followed by ENT, yet 2% were undecided about their future specialty. The most common factor that influenced the students to choose the location for training was quality of training (41.4%), followed by the cooperation of the hospital staff with new trainees (30%). Conclusion: The majority of medical interns preferred to complete their residency or postgraduate studies in SA, according to the findings of the study. Family medicine and ENT were the most common specialties, regardless of gender. Students’ career decisions are influenced by several factors. Future research that can help create a more accurate career-counseling model and improve successful career-counseling strategies will need to address these factors.

The Impact of Previous Cardiology Electives on Canadian Medical Student Interest and Understanding of Cardiology

Background: Most Canadian medical schools do not have mandatory cardiology rotations. Early exposure to clinical cardiology aids career navigation, but clerkship selectives are chosen during pre-clerkship. This study investigates whether prior elective experiences affect medical student interest as well as understanding of cardiology before clerkship selections.
 Methods: A literature search was conducted using Google Scholar, Embase and PubMed to create an evidence-based cross-sectional survey. The anonymous questionnaire was administered to 53 second-year medical students at a Canadian medical school via Opinio, an online survey platform. Students were assessed on their interest and understanding of cardiology practice using a 5-point Likert Scale. Descriptive statistics and Chi-Square analysis were applied to assess the relationship between previous elective experience, medical student interest, and understanding of career-related factors pertaining to cardiology.
 Results: Overall, 26 (49.1%) students reported cardiology interest, while it was a preferred specialty for 9 (17.0%). Medical students reported low understanding of community practice (n=20, 37.7%), duration of patient relationships (n=14, 26.4%), spectrum of disorders (n=13, 24.5%), and in-patient care (n=11, 20.8%) associated with cardiology practice. Students with prior cardiology electives had increased understanding of in-patient care (χ2 = 4.688, Cramer’s V = 0.297, p = 0.030 and were more likely to select cardiology as a top specialty choice (χ2 = 7.983, Cramer’s V = 0.388, p = 0.005).
 Conclusions: Pre-clerkship medical students have a low understanding of cardiology practice. Increasing pre-clerkship exposure to cardiology may help students determine their interest in the specialty before clerkship selectives are chosen.

Preference of and factors that influence future specialty among medical students in Jordan: A cross-sectional study

BackgroundChoosing future specialty is an important issue that face undergraduate medical students during their university years. Several factors may assist to formulate students' final decision. We aimed to explore the future specialty preferences and the factors that influence the choice of undergraduate students in medical schools in Jordan. MethodsA cross sectional study conducted among the sixth year students of two medical schools in Jordan. A questionnaire was used to collect data from the students. It consisted of demographic data in form of gender, GPA, family income, and parents’ level of education. In addition to data about preferred specialties, and factors that influence medical students' choice of future specialty. ResultsA total of 223 medical students from two medical schools were recruited to participate. Males were 49.3% while females were 50.7%, and around 22% scored an excellent GPA. Most parents of the students were bachelor degree holders (63.6% for fathers and 62.3% for mothers). Medicine (19.4%), dermatology (12.6%), and obstetrics and gynecology (11.7%) were the most chosen future specialties. Specialty appeal and thoughts of future creativity was the most chosen factor that influenced future specialty (55.2%) choice, followed by family time and less on-call duties (14.8%). Students who selected chances of fellowships as an influencing factor were more likely to prefer medicine as future specialties (p < 0.001). ConclusionMedicine, dermatology, and obstetrics and gynecology were the most popular future specialty choices among undergraduate medical students. Most of our medical students claimed that selection of their specialty is based on the interest and potential creativity, family time and less on call duties. Further studies are required in a wide range to accommodate more students from the other academic years.

Career orientations of medical students: A Q-methodology study.

In pursuing optimal health care, an adequate medical workforce is crucial. However, many countries are struggling with a misalignment of students' specialty preferences and societal needs regarding the future medical workforce. In order to bridge this gap, it is relevant to gain a better understanding of the medical career choice processes. We explored career orientations among medical students in the Netherlands and their implications for future career choices. We used Q-methodology, a hybrid qualitative-quantitative method, to explore career orientations of medical students. Medical students from two universities in the Netherlands, varying in year of progression of medical school, ranked 62 statements with regard to importance for their future career choice. Participants explained their ranking in an interview and completed a questionnaire regarding demographics. Using by-person factor analysis we identified groups of individuals with similar orientations. Twenty-four students participated in this study, resulting in three distinct orientations towards future careers: a first career orientation that highly values lifelong self-development; a second that values work-life balance, and a third that was more concerned with achievement and recognition of their work. Medical students' career orientations differed in the importance of challenge, work-life balance, and need for recognition. This knowledge can help to design interventions to shift career choices of medical students closer towards future needs in society. Offering career coaching to students that challenges them to explore and prioritise their values, needs and motivations, for example using the materials form this study as a tool, and stimulates them to consider specialties accordingly, could be a promising strategy for guiding students to more long-term satisfying careers.

6th year medical students’ future specialty preferences: A cross-sectional study

BackgroundStudying career preferences can help in designing and improving health service systems. Determining the preferred specialty and understanding the compulsion affecting specialty choice will provide clues to influence such choice in the future to shift the balance of specialties among practitioners. The current study aimed to determine medical students' preferable specialty choices and the factors influencing their choices and their attitude towards postgraduate medical education in Jordan and abroad. Materials and methodsThe descriptive cross-sectional study design included 6th-year medical students in medical faculties in Jordan. An online questionnaire was created on Google Forms and posted on platforms accessible by medical students at level six. Numbers and percentages were presented for all variables. Frequency distributions were also presented. Chi-square distribution was used to measure the association between categorical data. Alpha level of 0.05 was used. ResultsMost students 188 (74.3%) preferred to continue their post-graduate training abroad, while only 65 (25.7%) favored Jordan. 150 (59.3%) of the respondents are interested in the medical – non-surgical - specialties. The most important factor that encouraged the students to choose a specialty was Job opportunity (32.5%) followed by the number of years required to complete the training and the expected income (27.7%) each. ConclusionSupportive steps should be undertaken to motivate medical graduates toward the needed specialties. Moreover, local Specialty training programs need to be –reevaluated to ensure proper post graduate medical learning.

Tıp eğitimi sırasında Türk tıp öğrencilerinin uzmanlık tercihlerinde değişiklik

Background: Medical students’ choices depend on their moral values and expectations from their future profession. Although this choice is a personal one it has impacts on the health system. In Turkey, the misdistribution of doctors by specialty has become a significant problem and a risk for the sustainability of the health provision system.Objectives: The aims were to understand how medical students’ up-to-date perceptions and choices of specialization change during their educations, and which moral values have an impact on this process. Material and Methods: An online survey was conducted on 706 medical students. The questionnaire included questions on specialization, career aspirations, the national examination on specialization in medicine (SIM), and compulsory service. After the analysis of this survey, 2 focus groups with a total number of 19 were conducted for further analysis of the data that was collected previously. 50 minutes-long focus group discussions were held on campus between October 24 and October 25, 2019. Findings: Almost all students (98.81%) stated they are planning to get specialty training. Most of the clinical phase students’ (74.01%) specialty preference has changed compared to their first year at medical school. They explained during the focus group sessions that this change was because of their internships during the clinical stage phase (4th, 5th, and 6th year). Significantly more male students stated “financial reasons” as their reason for undergoing specialty training (p=0.016). Focus-group discussions revealed the fact that first three year students tend to choose surgical specialties more, but last three years students tend to choose medical sciences considering their standard of living. Conclusion: We must acknowledge that medical students’ choices on specialization change from surgical specialties towards medical sciences during medical education due to the heavy workload, financial issues, malpractice lawsuits and mobbing. In order to prevent the misdistribution of doctors by specialty, improvement in work conditions should be made.

Specialty career preferences among final year medical students at Makerere University College of health sciences, Uganda: a mixed methods study

BackgroundUganda has an imbalanced distribution of the health workforce, which may be influenced by the specialty career preferences of medical students. In spite of this, there is inadequate literature concerning the factors influencing specialty career preferences. We aimed to determine the specialty career preferences and the factors influencing the preferences among fifth year medical students in the School of Medicine, Makerere University College of Health Sciences (MakCHS).MethodsA sequential explanatory mixed methods study design with a descriptive cross-sectional study followed by a qualitative study was used. A total of 135 final year medical students in MakCHS were recruited using consecutive sampling. Self-administered questionnaires and three focus group discussions were conducted. Quantitative data was analysed in STATA version 13 (StataCorp, College Station, Tx, USA) using descriptive statistics, chi-square tests and logistic regression. Qualitative data was analysed in NVIVO version 12 (QRS International, Cambridge, MA) using content analysis.ResultsOf 135 students 91 (67.4%) were male and their median age was 24 years (IQR: 24, 26). As a first choice, the most preferred specialty career was obstetrics and gynecology (34/135, 25.2%), followed by surgery (27/135, 20.0%), pediatrics (18/135, 13.3%) and internal medicine (17/135, 12.6%). Non-established specialties such as anesthesia and Ear Nose and Throat (ENT) were not selected as a first choice by any student. Female students had 63% less odds of selecting surgical related specialties compared to males (aOR = 0.37, 95%CI: 0.17–0.84). The focus group discussions highlighted controlled lifestyle, assurance of a good life through better financial remuneration and inspirational specialists as facilitators for specialty preference. Bad experience during the clinical rotations, lack of career guidance plus perceived poor and miserable specialists were highlighted as barriers to specialty preference.ConclusionObstetrics and Gynecology, Surgery, Pediatrics and Internal Medicine are well-established disciplines, which were dominantly preferred. Females were less likely to select surgical disciplines as a career choice. Therefore, there is a need to implement or establish career guidance and mentorship programs to attract students to the neglected disciplines.

The effect of career guidance on undergraduate medical students' specialty preferences.

To design and implement a career guidance programme for medical students, and to evaluate its effectiveness. The quasi-experimental single-group study was conducted at the College of Medicine, Jouf University, Sakaka, Saudi Arabia, during the 2018-19 academic year. A modified Medical Career Development Inventory covering 5 areas was used to assess how much students' thinking or planning had improved after implementing the designed career guidance programme following Kern's 6 steps for course design. This was done through focussed group discussions. In the second phase, a comprehensive sample comprising 4th and 5th year male and female medical students was enrolled to assess their readiness, planning and choice of specialties, and to compare the same variables post-intervention. Data was analysed using SPSS 22. There were 50 students in the first phase; 30(60%) males and 20(40%) females. In phase II, there were 82 subjects; 47(57.3%) males and 35(42.7%) females. Pre-intervention mean result was 2.60±0.29 which increased post-intervention to 3.16±0.20 (p=0.018), suggesting an improved degree of vocational development. The career guidance programme significantly improved degree of vocational development and readiness to cope with developmental tasks encountered throughout a physician's career.

Trends in geographic and home program preferences in the dermatology residency match: A retrospective cohort analysis

Trends in geographic and home program preferences in the dermatology residency match: A retrospective cohort analysis

Exploring speciality preferences and the influencing factors among undergraduate medical students at University of Kufa, Iraq: A questionnaire-based cross-sectional survey.

To explore medical students' preferences of career specialisation, and to investigate the factors that influence their choices. The cross-sectional study was conducted at the University of Kufa, Iraq, from January 27 to February 21, 2019, and comprised medical students from the second to the sixth years. Data was collected using an anonymous, structured, self-administered questionnaire. Data was analysed using SPSS 25. Of the 601 students approached, 566 (94%) participated; 311(55%) females and 255(45%) males. The largest group was of students in the second year 161 (28.45%), followed by third year 123 (21.73%), sixth 98(17.31%), fifth 93(16.43%) and fourth year 91(16.08%). Cardiology was the most chosen specialty 55(9.7%), followed by Paediatrics 46 (8.1%) and Dermatology 45(8%), while 40(7.1%) students had not decided yet. The reason for choice most cited were "My Passion" by 427(75.4%) students, "income" 67(11.8%), "less on-call duties" 51(9%), "mentor inspiration" 46(8.1%), "family member inspiration" 34(6%), "reputation" 22(3.8%), "less competition" 15(2.6%), and "number of residency years" 8(1.4%). Being passionate about a speciality was the major influencing factor for students while selecting their future speciality.

Technology readiness of medical students and the association of technology readiness with specialty interest.

BackgroundTechnology readiness (TR) is a construct which characterizes an individual’s propensity to utilize new technology. Despite increased technology use in healthcare, limited data exists on medical student TR and the relation of TR with specialty interest. This study assesses the TR of 2nd year medical students and its association with specialty interest.MethodsRespondents completed a survey assessing their most preferred specialty, specialty interests, and technology readiness using a 5-point Likert scale. Using Chi-square analysis, we examined the relation between demographics, TR, and specialty interest.ResultsThis study obtained a 45.7% (n = 53/116) response rate demonstrating that 79.2% (n = 42/53) of students were “technology ready.” Male students were more likely to be technology ready (95.2%, n = 20/21, vs 68.8%, n = 22/32, p = 0.02) when compared to female students. Technology ready students were associated with being more interested in “Technology-Focused” specialties compared to students who were not technology ready (88.5%, n = 23/26 vs 70.4%, n = 19/27, p = 0.104).ConclusionsAs a cohort, most medical students were technology ready. It is inconclusive if technology ready students are more likely to be interested in technology-focused specialties due to the limited sample size of this study, although with an increased sample size, an improved understanding on technology readiness and its potential impact on student specialty interest may be obtained. Furthermore, knowledge of TR may aid in developing targeted technology-based education programs and in improving remedial approaches for students who are less comfortable with new technology.

Written in the stars: did your specialty choose you?

Purpose of the studyEstablished over 2000 years ago, horoscopes remain a regular feature in contemporary society. We aimed to assess whether there could be a link between zodiac sign and...

A National Survey on the characteristics of Iranian General Practitioners and Their Preferred Specialty: A Need to Transition toward Preventive Medicine.

Background:The shortage and unbalanced distribution of physicians has adverse effects on the provision of equitable services at all levels of health care and especially at the prevention and primary care levels. The choice of specialty can seriously change the structure and composition of the physician workforce. Therefore, this study aimed to investigate the relationship between background characteristics of Iranian general practitioners' (GPs) and their preferred specialty fields.Methods:In this mixed-method study, first, 12 medical doctors participated in a nominal group technique to determine the most important background characteristics that affect GPs' preferences for specialty selection. In the second phase, we conducted a survey among 680 GPs in six provinces from different geographic regions. We gathered data using a researcher-made checklist and analyzed them using an adjusted multivariate regression.Results:The adjusted analysis showed that being female, being married, being in an older age group, having children, graduation from universities located in the provincial centers, and decision for living and practicing in the less-populated areas were significantly associated with the Iranian GPs' preferences for non-surgical specialties.Conclusions:This study provided evidence that could inform national health workforce policy-makers to avoid unbalanced distribution of physicians and accordingly to ensure the provision of equitable services at all levels of healthcare and especially at the primary care level. Other effective factors on the selection of specialty should be evaluated at the national level using specific surveys and econometrics studies such as discrete selection experiment to move toward preventive medicine.

MPRO: A Professionalism Curriculum to Enhance the Professional Identity Formation of University Premedical Students

ABSTRACT Limited opportunities exist for university premedical students to gain exposure to the realities of clinical practice through physician shadowing or through a formal curriculum. Medical Professionalism and Observership utilizes didactics, reflective writing, small- and large- group discussions, and clinical observerships to enhance the process of professional identity formation during a critical developmental window of late- adolescence. The pilot semester included a sample of 135 students, all in their sophomore, junior, or senior years of study at Rice University. Students were selected through an application process and paired with physicians at Houston Methodist Hospital based on specialty preference and availability. Students were required to participate in biweekly lectures and discussions and to submit a weekly reflection on topics discussed in the course and their shadowing experiences. Student evaluations were administered to survey changes in students’ knowledge and perceptions of the curriculum. Selected reflections were read for evidence of professional identity formation. Lectures increased students’ exposure to core competencies within the medical profession and influenced their desire to become physicians. Reflective writings demonstrated integration of these core competencies into the professional identity of students. Structured reflection and didactics, when coupled with physician shadowing, appear to promote integration of the values, beliefs, and attitudes of medical professionalism. Future studies should seek to demonstrate how such a curriculum affects professional identity formation through established measures, and to assess whether such a curriculum may influence students’ preparedness for medical training and practice as they progress along their careers.

Factors Affecting the Career and Speciality Preferences of Dental Students in Trinidad and Tobago: A Cross-Sectional Survey

Objective: The purpose of this study was 1) to identify the factors that affect dental students’ decision to pursue specialisations and different career paths. 2) to identify the most common speciality of interest and factors that influence that decision. 3) to determine if there is a significant difference in factor selection by gender. Materials and Methods: An online cross-sectional self-administered questionnaire was formulated. The sample population consisted of clinical dental students and interns of The University of the West Indies. Participants were then asked about their plans after leaving dental school and questioned if they wish to specialise and the main reasons. Factors influencing their choices were assessed using a 5 point Likert scale. They were also asked about their preferred work sector. Results: Fifty-six dental students responded and this gave a response rate of 55.4%. Males comprised 14.3% and females 85.7% of the sample. 80.4% of the respondents reported a desire to pursue a specialist career. The most preferred speciality was Aesthetic Dentistry (n = 12, 21.4%) followed by respondents who preferred not to specialise (n = 11, 19.6%) and then Paediatric Dentistry (n = 8, 14.3%). Overall, participants reported personal preference, flexible work schedule and job security were the three most important factors for selecting a career path. Most participants preferred to work in the private sector. There was no association with gender and choosing a specialist career. Conclusion: This study shows the most desired career choices and specialities. There is a need to encourage students to steer towards general dentistry, the public sector and academia. The results show a baseline for national policies and possible postgraduate programmes of interest for this country.

Changes in Physicians' Specalization Preferences from 1987 to 2017

Aim: The purpose of this study is to determine whether gender is an associated variable in the speciality preferences of physicians and to investigate the change in the mean scores of the medical specialities according to the risk groups. Methods: This study has been conducted in relational survey model and the dataset of the study consists Weighted Clinical Medical Sciences scores (K) of 18.308 physicians who placed in a medical speciality with the Medical Specialization Examinations applied in 1987, 1997, 2007 and 2017. Within the scope of the study, 2 test was used to determine whether there is a relationship between the gender of physicians and their speciality (internal, surgical, basic medical sciences) and medical malpractice risk groups (first, second, third and fourth). In addition, to investigate the changes occurring in the speciality preferences of physicians in the course of time, K score averages of the risk groups by years was examined by one way analysis of variance. Finally, the distribution of the one hundred physicians’ specialities with the highest K score is given year by year. Results and Conculusion: There is a statistically significant relationship between physicians’ gender and the medical speciality which they were placed. In general, male physicians prefer surgery, while female physicians prefer internal and basic medical sciences. Similarly, there is a statistically significant relationship between the gender of physicians and the risk groups of their specialty. According to the variance analysis results, the differences between the standardized K score means of all risk groups were found statistically significant. In the forty-year period, especially the standardized K score means of the first risk group increased. When the 2007-2017 compared, the standard K score means of the specialties in the first and second risk groups increased, while the standard K score means of the specialties in the third risk group decreased. During the last 40 years, it has been observed that the physicians who scored high in the Medical Specialization Examinations tend towards to dermatology, plastic, reconstructive and aesthetic surgery, and radiology, rather than child health and diseases, internal medicine, gynecology and obstetrics, and cardiology. Based on these findings, the factors that cause physicians declining interest in surgical specialities should be determined and precautions should be taken.

Choices of Post-graduation Medical specialization among final year medical students, interns and medical officers working in different hospitals in Pokhara, Nepal

Background: The intricate decision to pursue finally one speciality following post bachelor’s medical degree is affected by many factors in Nepal. The aim of the study was to elucidate the preference of specialty among final year medical students, interns and medical officers currently working in Pokhara city of Nepal.&#x0D; Methods: Observational cross-sectional survey, conducted from 1st Feb to 30th April, 2020. 127 participants including doctors working in private and government hospitals of Pokhara, Nepal. Structured questionnaire was prepared and distributed to participants. Data were entered, validated in Microsoft Excel 2017 and analyzed in SPSS, version 25. Chi-squared and t-tests were applied for categorical and continuous variables respectively to test the statistical significance at 95% confidence level.&#x0D; Results: Of the total respondents, 30.46% reported clinical subjects as their preferences, followed by any clinical and basic subjects (20.31%). For clinical, Internal medicine was preferred by 15.6%, Surgery by 9.3%, Dermatology by 6.25%, Orthopedics by 4.68%, Pediatrics, Health care management, Psychiatry, Otorhinolaryngology, Gynecology and Ophthalmology were reported by 3.9%, 2.3%, 1.5% and rest 0.7%, respectively. 64% of the participants chose their speciality based on their keen interest, and while 17.9%, 12.5% and 3.1% closed due to pressure from family members, experience while working and anticipation of good quality of life respectively.&#x0D; Conclusion: High proportion of the respondents’ preferred clinical speciality. Most opted clinical speciality was Internal Medicine. This may lead to saturation in those areas of specialization and as a result leave the population underserved in other important areas basic science involving clinical teaching and learning.

Why UK medical students change career preferences: an interview study.

IntroductionMedical career preferences are influenced by a multitude of factors. Currently several specialties are undergoing recruitment problems; we must develop our understanding of medical career decision-making to ensure the production of an appropriate workforce. We aimed to explore the changing career preferences of students during medical school, to better understand this.MethodsThis was an interpretivist, qualitative study. Data were collected through semi-structured interviews with seven final-year students to explore why their career preferences had changed during medical school. Transcripts of these interviews were thematically analysed.ResultsThree overarching themes emerged from the analysis: The ‘influence of medical school’, ‘perceived suitability to specialty’ and ‘belonging and fitting in’. A thematic map captured the participants’ perceptions on why their preferences had changed, with major influences echoing existing research. However, novel findings included participants’ personalities and enthusiasm changing over time, the need for a ‘sense of belonging’ and participants defining the term ‘variety’ uniquely, perceiving their current specialty preference to match their definition.DiscussionThis was an original, in-depth study on changing career preferences, which is an ill-defined subject within the literature. Analysis revealed preferences changed for a variety of medical school, personal and specialty reasons, leading to the construction of an updated model of medical career decision-making. Medical career preference remains a dynamic and ever-evolving phenomenon, influenced by an intricate interplay of internal and external factors. An understanding of this is crucial for future workforce planning.Electronic supplementary materialThe online version of this article (10.1007/s40037-020-00636-7) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.

Virtual Med-Peds: Description of the First Virtual Med-Peds Student Elective During COVID-19.

Background: For medical students seeking additional specialty experience in Med-Peds, in-person electives have often been a source of mentorship and guidance. The COVID-19 pandemic has impacted the ability for the completion of in-person clerkships for medical students across the nation. Virtual opportunities to increase exposure to Med-Peds programs and didactics are lacking at this time. Objective: To develop a virtual Med-Peds student elective that serves to increase awareness of the Med-Peds specialty, exposure to Med-Peds topics and relevant didactics, and exposure to Med-Peds specific mentorship when on-site clerkships are not available due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Methods: Fifteen medical students participated in a virtual Med-Peds student elective utilizing Zoom (Zoom Inc, San Jose, CA). Three separate cohorts of five students each completed two-week elective experiences. The virtual elective curriculum was created using asynchronous and synchronous learning modalities. Sessions were composed of self-directed learning topics, peer-to-peer interactive case discussions, resident-led didactics, and attending physician-led didactics and mentorship sessions. A pre-survey was administered at the beginning of the elective and a post-survey was administered at the end of the elective to assess the effectiveness of the elective, student experiences with Med-Peds mentors, and students’ general perceptions of Med-Peds as a residency application choice. Results: All students (100%), rated the Med-Peds elective to have exceeded their expectations. All students indicated this elective had been extremely (100%) valuable to increase their understanding and interest in Med-Peds (top rating on a five-point Likert scale). Compared to prior to the elective, most were very likely (87%) or likely (7%) to apply to Med-Peds as their top (preferred) specialty. Similar to pre-survey data, one-third (33%) of the students were still likely to apply to an alternate specialty in addition to Med-Peds. Hundred percent of students indicated that the mentorship component of the elective exceeded their original expectations. While most students indicated that they are much more strongly considering applying to Med-Peds as a top (preferred) specialty, the number of students who continue to consider dual-application to include either categorical Internal Medicine, categorical Pediatrics, or Family Medicine did not differ before and after completion of the virtual elective. Conclusions: Implementation of a virtual medical student elective focusing on exposure to Med-Peds can strengthen medical students’ interest in the combined specialty despite a paucity of previous experiences or an affiliated Med-Peds program. This new type of rotation can positively impact a student’s view of a hospital system and a residency program when in-person clinical rotations are not available.

Residency Match Trends, Racial Disparity, and Matching Amid a Pandemic

PurposeRadiation oncology has been facing an evolving crisis in recruitment for several years, and the events of 2020 to 2021 will certainly add to that crisis with the urgency of addressing systemic racial injustice amid a global pandemic. The purpose of this study is to examine applicant data to gain insight on residency match trends and evaluate these findings within the backdrop of a novel match year. Methods and MaterialsNational Residency Matching Program (NRMP) data between 2009 and 2020 were assessed for the number of applicants, programs, and positions available, number of ranked applicants needed to fill positions, and successfully matched applicant data. Additionally, Electronic Residency Application Service data were evaluated for race/ethnicity identification among applicants. ResultsThe number of applicants who ranked radiation oncology as their preferred specialty has declined for 3 consecutive years from 223 in 2017 to 155 in 2020. In 2020 the applicant-to-position ratio was at an all-time low at 0.82, and the unmatched position rate increased to 18.5%. The percentage of Black or African American applicants applying to radiation oncology has also declined to 4.9%, and this population represents 7.2% of all applicants. The number of ranked applicants needed to fill the available radiation oncology PGY2 positions increased from 4.0 in 2010 to 6.0 in 2020. ConclusionDeclining interest in radiation oncology among applicants, and an even further decline of black applicants, along with the challenges of interview and travel restrictions during the pandemic provide heightened concern for this year’s match. Innovative efforts to expand the reach of radiation oncology to prospective applicants is needed to engage diverse, bright, and committed students for the continued progress of radiation oncology and most importantly, our patients.