[Doctors to be have a lack of interest for general practice. Results from a national Poll in a population of 1 870 undergraduate french medical students concerning speciality choice].
OBJECTIVE
Analyze the professional wishes of a large sample of medical students in their 6(th) year before the National Ranking Exam.


METHODS
In March 2009, 3 215 students have participated in a National Practice Ranking Exam. Before getting their results on the Internet, they were invited to answer a questionnaire that included the choice of specialty within 37 choices and socio-demographics data.


RESULTS
1 870 students (59.8%) responded to the questionnaire. Two thirds of students were female (n=1 168; 62.5%) The ranking ranged from 3 to rank 3 215 (mean 1 529+/-20.9). A quarter of students (n=432; 23.1%) wanted to become general practitioners. Medical specialties were more often chosen than surgical specialties (excluding gynecology) (n=521, 27.9% vs. n=344; 18.4%). Gender sifnificantly influenced choice of a specialty (p<0.0001). Men were more attracted to anesthetics [11% (n=77/702) vs. 6% (n=82/1 168)] and surgery [29.9% (n=210) vs. 11.5% (n=134)] while women preferred gynecology [9.2% (n=107) vs. 3.3% (n=23)] and general medicine [28.1% (n=328) vs. 14.8% (n=104)]. On the ranking of mean grade of students, general medicine was last but one. Students wanted to take 74% of available residency offer in gynecology, 62% in surgery, 57% in medicine but only 14 % of general medicine.


CONCLUSIONS
This study confirms the feminization of the medical population, the influence of gender on career choices and the lack of interest of students for general medicine.
Lefèvre
Jérémie H
JH
Service de Chirurgie digestive de l'hôpital Saint-Antoine, Assistance-Publique Hôpitaux de Paris, Groupe Hospitalo-Universitaire Est, Faculté de Médecine Pierre et Marie Curie, Université Paris VI, Paris, France. jeremie.lefevre@sat.aphp.fr
Karila
Laurent
L
Kernéis
Solen
S
Fiessinger
Jean-Noël
JN
Rouprêt
Morgan
M
D000328:Adult; D002321:Career Choice; D005194:Family Practice / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D005260:Female; D005602:France; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D013337:Students, Medical; D055815:Young Adult