title: Burnout and career choice motivation in medical students.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Burnout is a stress-induced syndrome, which affects medical students. Some environmental and personal factors can favor burnout onset and its serious consequences as dropping out, sleep disorders, depression, and suicide. The motivation for choosing medicine is a personal aspect that can modulate the distress with academic demands.
  
  
  METHODS
  We applied self-administered questionnaires in 277 medical students to investigate the predictive role of career choice motivations on burnout dimensions. Specifically, we studied the influence of the main reasons for choosing medicine on emotional exhaustion, cynicism, and academic efficacy.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Intellectual curiosity, professional autonomy, altruism, and interest in human relationships were the most common reasons for choosing medicine. However, the medical students motivated by personal illness or family member's illness or death revealed a significant greater emotional exhaustion when compared with the students with other motivations.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The students who apply for medical school motivated by illness/death experiences are at a great risk for burnout. We suggest that students who are at risk for emotional exhaustion can be identified at the admission of medical school. Primary prevention strategies for burnout should consider this risk group.
authors: Department of Psychiatry and Mental Health, Institute of Community Health, Fluminense Federal University, Brazil. pagnin@huap.uff.br
authors: Daniel
authors: D
authors: Pagnin
authors: Valéria
authors: V
authors: De Queiroz
authors: Márcio Amaral
authors: MA
authors: De Oliveira Filho
authors: Naira Vanessa Anomal
authors: NV
authors: Gonzalez
authors: Ana Emília Teófilo
authors: AE
authors: Salgado
authors: Bernardo
authors: B
authors: Cordeiro e Oliveira
authors: Caio Silva
authors: CS
authors: Lodi
authors: Raquel Muniz Da Silva
authors: RM
authors: Melo
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D002055:Burnout, Professional / Q000523:psychology*; D002321:Career Choice; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007588:Job Satisfaction; D008297:Male; D009042:Motivation; D013315:Stress, Psychological / Q000523:psychology; D013337:Students, Medical / Q000523:psychology*