Effect of a second-year primary care preceptorship on medical students' career plans.
BACKGROUND
Preceptorships with community physicians have been incorporated into medical curricula to foster interest in generalist careers. An evaluation of our preceptorship program was undertaken to determine this influence.


METHODS
Students were asked about career interests before and after a second-year community preceptorship. When graduating, those students entering primary-care residencies were surveyed to validate whether they planned to become generalist or specialist. Associations between career choice at graduation and career interest before and after the preceptorship were examined.


RESULTS
Of 73 students who maintained a generalist career plan after the community preceptorship, 57 (78%) continued with the same at graduation. After the preceptorship, 70 students reported a change in career interest toward generalism, compared with 9 who reported an interest in specialism. A significant relationship was found between career interest change and career choice at graduation.


CONCLUSIONS
Our community preceptorship had a modest impact in stimulating students to consider generalist careers.
Corbett
Eugene C
EC
Department of Internal Medicine and the Center for the Advancement of Generalist Medicine, University of Virginia School of Medcine, Charlottesville, USA.
Owen
John A
JA
Hayden
Gregory F
GF
D002321:Career Choice; D003479:Curriculum; D004504:Education, Medical, Undergraduate; D005194:Family Practice / Q000193:education*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D011231:Preceptorship; D015397:Program Evaluation; D014768:Virginia