[Career goals and choice of profession among recently graduated physicians].
OBJECTIVE
To obtain insight into the career choice of recently graduated physicians and the factors that influence this choice.


METHODS
Descriptive.


METHODS
Questionnaires were sent to 1091 physicians who graduated from the VU University in Amsterdam or the University Utrecht between 1 July 1999 and 30 June 2002. Graduates were asked to provide the following information: current occupation, number of days that they have worked in current occupation, 5-year career goals, prerequisites for obtaining a residency, time spent on patient care and research, and the extent to which certain factors have influenced their career choice. Respondents were subdivided into three groups: clinical specialists, general practitioners, and public or occupational health professionals.


RESULTS
The response was 70%, and approximately half of the respondents were engaged in additional resident training: 68% in a clinical specialty, 23% in general practice, 9% in public or occupational health, and 2% in another occupation. Most of the respondents worked full-time but would prefer to work less in the future. Full-time availability was the most important prerequisite for a clinical residency. Work experience after graduation was also considered important to obtain a residency in general practice or public or occupational health. Among clinical and general practitioner residents, the most important factor influencing career choice was interest in the specific field. For public and occupational health residents, the most important factor was working within office hours, particularly for female respondents.


CONCLUSIONS
Various factors influence career choice in recently graduated physicians, and these factors are specialty-dependent. Graduates are interested in the possibility of working part-time in their present occupation and in the near future.
Soethout
M B M
MB
VU Medisch Centrum, Instituut voor Extramuraal Geneeskundig Onder-zoek, afd. Sociale Geneeskunde, Van der Boechorststraat 7, 1081 BT Amsterdam. mbm.soethout@vumc.nl
van der Wal
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D002321:Career Choice; D002322:Career Mobility; D004501:Education, Medical; D005194:Family Practice; D006280:Health Workforce; D006801:Humans; D007396:Internship and Residency; D009426:Netherlands; D013038:Specialization; D013222:State Medicine; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D016526:Workload