Using questionnaires to determine whether medical graduates' career choice is determined by undergraduate or postgraduate experiences.
BACKGROUND
There has been increased interest in the factors influencing the career choice of doctors. Feminization of the medical workforce, changing health care needs, reform of training has ensured that this is an important issue for workforce planners and educationists.


OBJECTIVE
Questionnaires were distributed to graduates from the University of Liverpool 5 years post graduation requesting the most important influences on career choice.


CONCLUSIONS
The majority of graduates felt their career choice was primarily dictated by their postgraduate experience. Graduates chose their career pathway for a number of reasons including specialties that would secure home-work balance, disenchantment with training programmes, and work experiences post graduation rather than their undergraduate clinical attachments.
Watmough
Simon
S
School of Medical Education, University of Liverpool, Liverpool, UK. efcsw@liverpool.ac.uk
Taylor
David
D
Ryland
Ida
I
D002321:Career Choice; D002322:Career Mobility; D002982:Clinical Clerkship; D015331:Cohort Studies; D004503:Education, Medical, Graduate / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D004504:Education, Medical, Undergraduate / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D006801:Humans; D007396:Internship and Residency; D008019:Life Style; D008611:Mentors; D013337:Students, Medical / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D006113:United Kingdom