Influence of Controllable Lifestyle on Recent Trends in Specialty Choice by US Medical Students

CONTEXT: Recent specialty choices of graduating US medical students suggest that lifestyle may be an increasingly important factor in their career decision making. OBJECTIVE: To determine whether and to what degree controllable lifestyle and other specialty-related characteristics are associated wit...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:JAMA : the journal of the American Medical Association 2003-09, Vol.290 (9), p.1173-1178
Main Authors: Dorsey, E. Ray, Jarjoura, David, Rutecki, Gregory W
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Career changes
Career Choice
Humans
Internship and Residency
Life Style
Lifestyles
Medical schools
Medicine
Specialization
Students
Students, Medical
United States
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Summary:CONTEXT: Recent specialty choices of graduating US medical students suggest that lifestyle may be an increasingly important factor in their career decision making. OBJECTIVE: To determine whether and to what degree controllable lifestyle and other specialty-related characteristics are associated with recent (1996-2002) changes in the specialty preferences of US senior medical students. DESIGN AND SETTING: Specialty preference was based on analysis of results from the National Resident Matching Program, the San Francisco Matching Program, and the American Urological Association Matching Program from 1996 to 2002. Specialty lifestyle (controllable vs uncontrollable) was classified using earlier research. Log-linear models were developed that examined specialty preference and the specialty's controllability, income, work hours, and years of graduate medical education required. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURE: Proportion of variability in specialty preference from 1996 to 2002 explained by controllable lifestyle. RESULTS: The specialty preferences of US senior medical students, as determined by the distribution of applicants across selected specialties, changed significantly from 1996 to 2002 (P
ISSN:0098-7484
1538-3598
DOI:10.1001/jama.290.9.1173