title: Change in attitudes to psychiatry and intention to pursue psychiatry as a career in newly qualified doctors: a follow-up of two cohorts of medical students.
abstract: This follow-up study of 234 doctors examined whether improvements in attitudes to psychiatry following an undergraduate psychiatry attachment were maintained after graduation, and explored the relationship between attitudes to psychiatry and intention to pursue psychiatry as a career. Improvements in attitudes following undergraduate psychiatric attachment decayed over time but remained higher than pre-attachment levels. Attitudes of doctors who definitely intended to pursue psychiatry, however, increased at each stage. Attitudes of doctors were predicted by post-attachment attitudes, which in turn were predicted by encouragement from consultants and influences of specialist registrars during the attachment at medical school. There were no differences between a problem-based and a traditional psychiatry curriculum in attitude change. The findings suggest that encouragement during medical school from more senior doctors increases the numbers wanting to pursue psychiatry and may increase the number who subsequently pursue psychiatry as a career.
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry and Behavioural Sciences, University College London, Holborn Union Building, Archway Campus, Highgate Hill, London N19 5LW, UK. g.livingston@ucl.ac.uk
authors.forename: Rachel
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Maidment
authors.forename: Gill
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Livingston
authors.forename: Cornelius
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Katona
authors.forename: Monica
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: McParland
authors.forename: Lorraine
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Noble
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D001291:Attitude of Health Personnel; D002321:Career Choice; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D010820:Physicians / Q000523:psychology*; D011570:Psychiatry / Q000193:education*; D012044:Regression Analysis; D006113:United Kingdom