title: Which U.S. medical graduates plan to become specialty-board certified? Analysis of the 1997-2004 national association of American Medical Colleges Graduation Questionnaire database.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Predictors of U.S. allopathic medical-school graduates' board-certification plans have not been characterized.
  
  
  METHODS
  Using multivariable logistic regression, graduates' responses to 11 questions on the 1997-2004 Association of American Medical Colleges Graduation Questionnaire were analyzed to identify independent predictors of plans for specialty-board certification.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The proportion of 108,408 graduates planning specialty-board certification decreased from 97.3% in 1997 to 88.4% in 2004. Among 101,805 (93.9%) graduates with complete data, graduates who were Hispanic, rated their clinical clerkships, quality of medical education, and confidence in clinical skills more highly, had any debt, and planned "University-faculty" careers were more likely to plan becoming board certified. Females, Asians/Pacific Islanders, and graduates who planned to practice in underserved areas, planned "other" nonclinical-practice careers, and graduated with MD/other (non-PhD) degrees were less likely to plan becoming board certified.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Specialty-board certification does not appear to be among the professional goals for a growing proportion of U.S. medical graduates.
authors.affiliation: Division of Health Behavior Research, Department of Medicine, Washington University School of Medicine, 4444 Forest Park Ave., Suite 6700, St. Louis, MO, 63108, USA. djeffe@im.wustl.edu
authors.forename: Donna B
authors.initials: DB
authors.lastname: Jeffe
authors.forename: Dorothy A
authors.initials: DA
authors.lastname: Andriole
authors.forename: Rajeev K
authors.initials: RK
authors.lastname: Sabharwal
authors.forename: Anthony M
authors.initials: AM
authors.lastname: Paolo
authors.forename: Kimberly
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Ephgrave
authors.forename: Heather L
authors.initials: HL
authors.lastname: Hageman
authors.forename: Angela
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Nuzzarello
authors.forename: Paul J
authors.initials: PJ
authors.lastname: Jones
authors.forename: Alison J
authors.initials: AJ
authors.lastname: Whelan
mesh_terms: D002321:Career Choice; D002568:Certification / Q000706:statistics & numerical data* / Q000639:trends; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D016015:Logistic Models; D008297:Male; D008511:Medicine / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D013038:Specialization; D013337:Students, Medical / Q000523:psychology*; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D014481:United States