ERIC Number: EJ808468
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2006-Aug
Pages: 5
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-1042-9670
EISSN: N/A
Choosing a Career in Psychiatry: Influential Factors within a Medical School Program
Manassis, Katharina; Katz, Mark; Lofchy, Jodi; Wiesenthal, Stephanie
Academic Psychiatry, v30 n4 p325-329 Aug 2006
Objective: To examine the influence of initial interest, pre-clerkship experiences, clerkship experiences, and enrichment activities on choosing a career in psychiatry. Method: Residents in psychiatry at the authors' medical school completed a survey that examined each of these factors in relation to career choice. Results: Thirty participants ranked initial interest as the most influential factor. Thirteen residents with low initial interest ranked clerkship experiences and negative experiences in other specialties as more influential than the 17 residents with high initial interest. Twelve residents who had attended the authors' medical school rated enrichment activities, particularly psychiatry electives, as more influential than the remaining 18 from other medical schools did. Conclusions: Although limited by small sample size and potential recall biases, this study suggests that positive clerkship experiences and participation in psychiatry electives may be modifiable programmatic factors that could enhance recruitment to psychiatry.
Descriptors: Enrichment Activities, Medical Schools, Career Choice, Psychiatry, Clinical Experience, Surveys, Sample Size, Student Recruitment, Graduate Medical Education
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Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Evaluative
Education Level: Higher Education
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A