title: Stability of medical student career interest:  a prospective study.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To examine the stability and switching patterns of student career interests over the course of medical school.
  
  
  METHODS
  From 2001 through 2004, during the first two weeks of classes, a survey on career interest was distributed to first-year students in 15 classes at eight Canadian medical schools. Students indicated interest in eight broad career paths (emergency medicine, family medicine, internal medicine, obstetrics-gynecology, pediatrics, psychiatry, surgery, and "other") and ranked their top three. Following these students' residency match three to four years later, student residency career choice was linked to their career interest at medical school entry. For students whose career interests switched be-tween medical school entry and exit, switching patterns were examined in terms of careers' matching difficulty scores (MDSs).
  
  
  RESULTS
  Of 1,941 eligible students, 1,542 contributed to the final analysis. Family medicine, internal medicine, and surgery had the greatest student interest at both the beginning and end of medical school. Family medicine, surgery, obstetrics-gynecology, psychiatry, and "other" careers showed a net gain of student interest during medical school with the remaining careers showing a loss of interest. The most stable careers were family medicine, surgery, and internal medicine. The least stable were pediatrics and obstetrics-gynecology. Students tended to switch between careers with similar MDSs.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Student career choice is relatively stable with a number of careers showing approximately 50% of stability from the entrance to the exit of medical school. Students tend to switch to careers with similar MDS, but some specific switching patterns exist.
authors: Undergraduate Family Medicine Programs, Department of Family Practice, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. ian.scott@familymed.ubc.ca
authors: Ian
authors: I
authors: Scott
authors: Margot
authors: M
authors: Gowans
authors: Bruce
authors: B
authors: Wright
authors: Fraser
authors: F
authors: Brenneis
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D002170:Canada; D002321:Career Choice; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007396:Internship and Residency; D008297:Male; D008511:Medicine / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D011446:Prospective Studies; D013337:Students, Medical / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D055815:Young Adult