Using data on 3,569 women and 15,582 men trained in internal medicine, this study investigated gender differences in choice of primary care practice and their possible relationship to training program type, traditional or primary care. Results indicate women pursued primary care more often than did men, regardless of training program completed.…

Research on effects of medical school curriculum on choice of careers in rural and underserved areas suggests medical students' pre-established interests are at least as predictive as curriculum. Most medical schools and residencies need extensive curriculum changes if students' careers are to be affected. Admissions offices can play a pivotal…

A study investigated the proportions of medical school graduates of the University of California at San Francisco entering personal care and technology-oriented specialties from 1982-1988. For the 1988 cohort, the importance of demographic, medical school, and postgraduate factors were also evaluated as predictors. (Author/MSE)

A review of 73 articles on primary care specialty choice between 1987 and 1993 revealed patterns in student attitudes on entry to medical school, characteristics associated with choice of primary care, significant curricular experiences, required time in family practice, and faculty representation. Twelve strategies for increasing the proportion…

A follow-up study of 148 medical school graduates investigated the predictive value of medical college admissions data for choice of a generalist career (family practice, general internal medicine, general pediatrics). Factors indicating a high orientation toward community service before medical school were found predictive of generalist choices.…

Describes the first three years of the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation's six-year, $32-million grant program designed to help medical schools increase their production of generalist physicians. Outlines the program's conceptual bases, identifies common approaches to intervention in the 14 participating schools, and explores administrative and…

The purpose of this follow-up study was to ascertain the career selections and college majors of 101 minority high school honor students who attended a summer enrichment program at the Medical College of Georgia in Augusta from 1979-83, to determine whether the program had influenced their choice of a health-related career. (Author/MLW)

A review of 85 articles published 1984-93 on the effects of medical school curricula, faculty role models, and federal biomedical research support on the specialty choices of medical students suggests effective strategies to enlarge the proportion of medical students choosing generalist careers including institutional reform to emphasize…

Issues related to the production of more generalists in medicine are discussed, including economic, practice-related, and scientific forces favoring practice of specialty medicine; the influence of the medical school experience on career choice; strategies for correcting the balance inside and outside academic medicine; and resulting alternative…

The design, curricula, and financing of four existing medical schools' rural training track programs (University of Washington, University of Nebraska, State University of New York/Buffalo, University of Kentucky) are described. The programs are seen as having potential to decrease the shortage of physicians choosing careers in rural areas.…

A survey of 154 graduates of a University of Arizona medical school curriculum in international health found (1) a high proportion of women graduates; (2) higher than expected numbers of graduates entering family practice and pediatrics; (3) completion of a field experience in a developing nation by 73 percent; and (4) participant satisfaction…

A discussion of the influence of finances on students' decisions to enter medicine or pursue low-paying careers in primary care or clinical investigation looks at three factors: medical school costs, the magnitude of student indebtedness, and the effects of indebtedness on career choice. (Author/MSE)

A method for classifying students according to the breadth of their premedical preparation is presented, and medical school performances and career plans of students thus classified are compared. Grouping is according to undergraduate major, nonscience-to-science course hour ratio, and extracurricular involvement. The method is found useful for…

A questionnaire was administered to 339 graduating senior medical students at the Medical College of Georgia to determine different potential sources of influence on career choice. Indebtedness may be associated with the choice of a non-primary care specialty with greater remuneration than primary care specialty. (MLW)

It is proposed that medical schools recruit students from rural areas, have them choose family practice, and train them in rural settings. Specific recommendations for improving content and context of rural medical care education are made, including merging internal medicine, family practice, and pediatrics as a single primary care specialty.…