title: Do premedical students know what they are getting into?
abstract: The number of medical school applications continues to rise despite recent reports of decreased physician job satisfaction. To better understand this paradoxical trend, I surveyed 84 premedical students about their expectations of a medical career. Almost all respondents anticipated that as physicians they would be able to cure, heal, and help their patients (98%) and that their work would be intellectually satisfying (95%). Most anticipated that their jobs would be prestigious (83%) and even fun (73%). Far fewer than half the respondents would be discouraged from pursuing a medical career by the fear of being sued (38%), business worries (22%), or administrative duties (20%). Comparison of the student responses with results of a physician job satisfaction survey carried out the same year showed that the students, as a group, were modestly idealistic with respect to the daily work of being a physician and somewhat naive about the problems caused by various business and administrative issues. I conclude that premedical students could be better informed about the current reality of being a physician and that practicing physicians are responsible for providing this education.
authors.affiliation: Department of Family Practice, Kaiser Permanente Medical Offices, Fairfield, California, USA.
authors.forename: J M
authors.initials: JM
authors.lastname: Chuck
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D002321:Career Choice; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007588:Job Satisfaction; D008297:Male; D013340:Students, Premedical