Question

Few graduates of medical school choose primary care, and instead flock to specialties with greater pay and prestige. Since primary care is the basis for maintaining health and early diagnosis of potential health problems, who should be responsible for rectifying this misplaced emphasis of health care……. insurers…medical schools…the government…the AMA…others?

Answer 1

The medical specialties chosen by medical practitioners as their careers is an important determinant of the future supply of doctors in different specialties, and it is important for the planing of the workforce of health-care services. In addition, selection and professional training for a resident in a specific medical specialty requires much investment of time, training effort and money. Consequently, efficacy in the selection procedure is vital.

Insight into the reasons underlying the choice of medical careers in a country can improve medical career-planning. These insights can also provide better information and counseling for medical students and young doctors, and guide them towards careers that serve their aspirations as well as the health needs of the society.

On the other hand, failure of proper selection can lead to the waste of time and financial resources, improper utilization of human talents, declining enthusiasm and performance, multiple changes among specialties, drop outs, and even abandenment of health careers.

Many factors influence the specialty choices of medical students and medical practitioners. These factors range from individual characteristics such as age, gender and type of personality, the moment of choice, elements of influence and role models, to the characteristics of the specialty itself such as the types of problems and people encountered and served in the practice, the continuing development of new technologies, and the anticipation of specialty-related income. These factors also include the type of curriculum used in the undergraduate medical education, exposure during the internship year and the type of rotations and whether the exposure to the different subspecialties during internship. The main components that is needed for choosing a health speciality are :-

- self understanding

- career exploration

- decision making

The process by which young doctors choose a medical specialty needs to be investigated. This should study the personal characteristics of individuals and their choice of particular careers, background factors influencing career choice, their association with certain personal variables, the careers of specific groups, such as female doctors, and attitudes towards different specialties.