Premium
A STUDY OF CAREER PREFERENCES AMONG MEDICAL STUDENTS AT MONASH UNIVERSITY, 1968 TO 1970
Author(s) -
SOUTHBY RICHARD MCK. F.,
HETZEL BASIL S.
Publication year - 1975
Publication title -
medical journal of australia
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.904
H-Index - 131
eISSN - 1326-5377
pISSN - 0025-729X
DOI - 10.5694/j.1326-5377.1975.tb111279.x
Subject(s) - specialty , preference , fell , psychology , medical education , general practice , medicine , family medicine , mathematics , statistics , psychiatry , paleontology , biology
This paper presents the findings from a questionnaire and interview study of career preferences among medical students at Monash University from 196S to 1970. A comparison is also made of University of Melbourne and Monash University Interns' career preferences in 1970. The data presented are from a longitudinal study which followed a larger cross‐sectional study of Monash University medical students in 1968. The career preferences of Monash sixth‐year students for general practice reached a maximum of 43% in 1969 but fell to 29% as interns in 1970. The reverse pattern occurred in relation to specialties, preference for which increased marginally from 40% as sixth‐year students to 47% as interns. The career expectations of Monash fifth‐year students for general practice reached a maximum of 58% in 1968, but this fell to 43% as interns in 1970. The expectations for a specialty career declined marginally between fifth and sixth‐year students from 33% to 31%, but increased to 41% as interns. It is noticeable that the preferences for general practice were always lower than the expectations for general practice, and the preferences for specialty careers were always higher than the expectations for specialty careers. Some positive and negative influences on students' career interests are discussed and suggestions offered in relation to career advice and counselling services for students.