title: Effect of the new Bologna bachelor degree on career considerations of medical students in one medical school.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  The bachelor-master (BaMa) structure was introduced in medical schools in The Netherlands since 2003 and in Utrecht University in 2006.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  The aim of this study was to determine whether conferring a bachelor degree at the end of 3 years of medical school influences the career considerations of the students.
  
  
  METHODS
  Two cohorts (BaMa and pre-BaMa) of medical students at Utrecht University were approached to fill out questionnaires in 2008 and 2009, about their career plans and whether a bachelor degree would affect these plans.
  
  
  RESULTS
  In 2008, two-thirds of the students in both cohorts indicated that they considered a temporary stop. In 2009, the BaMa cohort showed substantially less interest in such a stop than the pre-BaMa cohort. Very few students considered a permanent stop. Comparison of third year pre-BaMa students (2008 cohort) with third year BaMa students (2009 cohort) revealed adjusted odds ratios of 2.34 (95% CI 1.34-4.09) for a temporary stop and 1.33 (95% CI 0.51-3.42) for a definitive stop.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Awarding a bachelor degree in the BaMa structure does not encourage students to interrupt or discontinue their medical study, to transfer to another master programme or to transfer to another medical school.
authors.affiliation: Center for Research and Development of Education, UMC Utrecht, The Netherlands. w.e.s.vandenbroek@umcutrecht.nl
authors.forename: Sjoukje
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: van den Broek
authors.forename: Barbara
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Muller
authors.forename: Nicky
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Dekker
authors.forename: Anke
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Bootsma
authors.forename: Olle Ten
authors.initials: OT
authors.lastname: Cate
mesh_terms: D002321:Career Choice; D004504:Education, Medical, Undergraduate / Q000458:organization & administration* / Q000592:standards; D006801:Humans; D038622:Internationality; D037141:Mandatory Programs; D009426:Netherlands; D012577:Schools, Medical; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires