Attitudes of graduating seniors at one medical school toward family practice.
OBJECTIVE
Senior medical students' interest in family practice as a career choice has declined in recent years.


METHODS
A questionnaire about attitudes toward family practice was mailed to the 1990 graduating class at the University of Maryland (N = 143), and 84 completed questionnaires were returned (59% response rate).


RESULTS
Seniors believed that family practice was challenging (89%) and had intellectual content (integrity) comparable to other specialties (81%). Furthermore, students believed that family physicians provided comprehensive care (88%), were not replaceable by other health professionals (86%), and were able to keep abreast with technological medical advances (52%). However, only 4% of the graduating seniors selected family practice as a career. Most students believed that family practice lacked prestige (82%), and about one half (55%) believed that it was too broad in scope.


CONCLUSIONS
Lack of prestige, stressful life-style, difficulty in mastering medical knowledge, and poor potential income were the main reasons given by students for not selecting family practice.
DeForge
B R
BR
Department of Psychiatry, University of Maryland School of Medicine.
Richardson
J P
JP
Stewart
D L
DL
D000328:Adult; D001291:Attitude of Health Personnel; D002321:Career Choice; D005194:Family Practice; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008396:Maryland; D013337:Students, Medical / Q000523:psychology*; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires