title: The influence of medical school clinical experiences on career preferences: a multidimensional perspective.
abstract: This study examines the multiple influences of medical school clinical experiences on student career preferences. The analysis of responses to pre-clerkship and post-clerkship questionnaires administered to the 1983 graduating class of a well-established medical school in the Great Lakes region of the United States indicates significant changes in career plans: away from primary care practice towards the surgical specialties; away from office-based practice towards clinical practice in a university medical center; and away from practice in small towns and communities towards locations in larger cities. These changes in the last 2 years of medical school appear to stem from an increased exposure to research and sophisticated medical technology. If allowed to continue, this trend in medical education will contribute further to the clinical specialty and geographic maldistribution problems of medicine in the United States.
authors.affiliation: Health Care Administration, Cleveland State University, OH 44115.
authors.forename: C H
authors.initials: CH
authors.lastname: Brooks
mesh_terms: D002321:Career Choice; D002983:Clinical Competence; D004501:Education, Medical; D006280:Health Workforce; D008507:Medically Underserved Area; D008511:Medicine / Q000639:trends; D010821:Physicians, Family; D011365:Professional Practice Location; D012106:Research; D013038:Specialization; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires