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BMC Primary Care
Published in: BMC Primary Care 1/2011

Open Access 01-12-2011 | Research article

Becoming a general practitioner - Which factors have most impact on career choice of medical students?

Authors: Kathrin Kiolbassa, Antje Miksch, Katja Hermann, Andreas Loh, Joachim Szecsenyi, Stefanie Joos, Katja Goetz

Published in: BMC Primary Care | Issue 1/2011

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Abstract

Background

In Germany, there is a shortage of young physicians in several specialties, the situation of general practitioners (GP) being especially precarious. The factors influencing the career choice of German medical students are poorly understood. This study aims to identify factors influencing medical students' specialty choice laying a special focus on general practice.

Methods

The study was designed as a cross-sectional survey. In 2010, students at the five medical schools in the federal state of Baden-Wuerttemberg (Germany) filled out an online-questionnaire. On 27 items with 5-point Likert scales, the students rated the importance of specified individual and occupational aspects. Furthermore, students were asked to assign their intended medical specialty.

Results

1,299 students participated in the survey. Thereof, 1,114 students stated a current choice for a specialty, with 708 students choosing a career in one of the following 6 specialties: internal medicine, surgery, gynaecology and obstetrics, paediatrics, anaesthetics and general practice. Overall, individual aspects ('Personal ambition', 'Future perspective', 'Work-life balance') were rated as more important than occupational aspects (i.e. 'Variety in job', 'Job-related ambition') for career choice. For students favouring a career as a GP individual aspects and the factor 'Patient orientation' among the occupational aspects were significantly more important and 'Job-related ambition' less important compared to students with other specialty choices.

Conclusions

This study confirms that future GPs differ from students intending to choose other specialties particularly in terms of patient-orientation and individual aspects such as personal ambition, future perspective and work-life balance. Improving job-conditions in terms of family compatibility and work-life balance could help to increase the attractiveness of general practice. Due to the shortage of GPs those factors should be made explicit at an early stage at medical school to increase the number of aspirants for general practice.
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Metadata
Title
Becoming a general practitioner - Which factors have most impact on career choice of medical students?
Authors
Kathrin Kiolbassa
Antje Miksch
Katja Hermann
Andreas Loh
Joachim Szecsenyi
Stefanie Joos
Katja Goetz
Publication date
01-12-2011
Publisher
BioMed Central
Published in
BMC Primary Care / Issue 1/2011
Electronic ISSN: 2731-4553
DOI
https://doi.org/10.1186/1471-2296-12-25

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