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A ustralian medical students and their choice of surgery as a career: a review
Author(s) -
Grigg Megan,
Arora Manit,
Diwan Ashish D.
Publication year - 2014
Publication title -
anz journal of surgery
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.426
H-Index - 70
eISSN - 1445-2197
pISSN - 1445-1433
DOI - 10.1111/ans.12389
Subject(s) - medicine , psychological intervention , prestige , medline , medical psychology , medical education , family medicine , nursing , linguistics , philosophy , political science , law
Background Surgery is an emotionally, physically and mentally challenging profession, and medical students factor in many variables when choosing surgery as a career choice. The aim of this study is to review the available literature on the factors influencing Australian medical students' choice of surgery as their career. Method A search of EMBASE and MEDLINE with the search terms ‘medical students’ AND ‘surgery’; ‘medical students’ AND ‘career pathways’; ‘medical students’ AND ‘career choices’ was conducted. Additionally, G oogle S cholar and the reference list of some articles were canvassed for suitable areas of study. Results Lifestyle factors were the main reason influencing medical student's career choices. A balance between work, family and lifestyle was found to be important, and a surgical career choice was not always compatible with this. In particular, female students placed more importance on family and lifestyle factors when opting for non‐surgical careers. Positive exposure and/or experiences in a surgical environment, perceived prestige and perceived financial reward were associated with surgical career choice. Conclusions There is a need to better understand the factors influencing surgical and non‐surgical career choice among A ustralian medical students, and develop appropriate interventions to promote surgery as a career. This article does not discuss personality traits of people who go into surgery.