title: Determinants of choosing a career in surgery.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Student choice is an important determinant of the specialty mix of practicing physicians in Canada. Understanding student characteristics at medical school entry that are associated with a student choosing a residency in surgery can assist surgical educators in supporting medical students interested in surgery and in serving health human resources needs.
  
  
  METHODS
  From 2002 to 2004, data was collected from entering students in 15 classes at eight of 16 Canadian medical schools. Surveys included questions on career choice, attitudes to practice, and socio-demographics. Students were followed prospectively with survey data linked to their residency choice. Multiple logistic regression analysis was used to identify entry characteristics that predicted a student's ultimate choice of a surgical career.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Eight entry variables predicted whether a student named surgery (including obstetrics) as their top residency choice: having surgery as their top career choice, having a relative or friend in a surgical career, having undertaken volunteer work with sports teams, an interest in narrow scope of practice, greater interest in medical the social patient problems, an interest in urgent care, and younger age were identified as predictors of a surgical career choice.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Surgical educators may wish to attend to the factors that we found that predicted students selecting a surgical residency as their top career choice at medical school exit in order to foster and support students interested in the surgical disciplines during medical school. In addition, these factors could be used to identify students interested in a surgical career at medical school entry.
authors.affiliation: Department of Family Practice, University of British Columbia, Canada. ianscott@interchange.ubc.ca
authors.forename: Ian
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Scott
authors.forename: Margot
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Gowans
authors.forename: Bruce
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Wright
authors.forename: Fraser
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Brenneis
mesh_terms: D002170:Canada; D002321:Career Choice; D016009:Chi-Square Distribution; D003625:Data Collection; D004503:Education, Medical, Graduate / Q000379:methods*; D005260:Female; D013502:General Surgery / Q000193:education*; D007722:Health Knowledge, Attitudes, Practice; D006801:Humans; D007396:Internship and Residency / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D016015:Logistic Models; D008297:Male; D010818:Practice Patterns, Physicians' / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D011446:Prospective Studies; D011594:Psychometrics; D012577:Schools, Medical; D013337:Students, Medical / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D055815:Young Adult