title: The FacharztDuell: innovative career counselling in medicine.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  The selection of a future medical specialty is a challenge all medical students face during the course of their studies. Students can choose from more than sixty specialties after graduation. There is usually no structured career counselling program available at German medical faculties. So far only little data on acceptance, formats and effects of different career counselling programs are available. The aim of this study is to describe an innovative format of career counselling for medical students including its evaluation of acceptance and its possible influence on medical specialty preferences.
  
  
  METHODS
  The need for career counselling became evident after the analysis of mentor-mentee conversations held within the mentoring program of our medical faculty, an online-based survey, an ad-hoc focus group and a pilot event. Panel discussions as an interactive format of presenting related medical specialties were developed and hence held four times under the name "FacharztDuell". Students evaluated all events separately with a questionnaire and changes in medical specialty choice preferences were documented using an Audience-Response-System (ARS). The FacharztDuell is organized regularly and supported by faculty teaching funds.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Among the student body FacharztDuell was well accepted (an average of 300 participants/event) and rated (average grade of 1.8 (SD= 0.7, 1=very good, 6=unsatisfactory, n=424). On average, 77.8% of the participating students considered the FacharztDuell to be a decision support for their future selection of a specialty. Up to 12% of the students changed their medical specialty choice preference throughout the event.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  FacharztDuell was well accepted by medical students of all semesters and seems to be supportive for their selection of a future medical specialty. However, longitudinal studies are necessary to better understand the decision making process of medical students along their career path. The FacharztDuell is easily transferrable to other faculties with respect to organization, staff and technical resources.
authors.affiliation: LMU München, Institute for Medical Education, München, Germany.
authors.forename: Lena
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Welbergen
authors.affiliation: Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität, Neurologische Klinik und Poliklinik, Klinikum Großhadern, München, Deutschland.
authors.forename: Severin
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Pinilla
authors.affiliation: LMU München, Institute for Medical Education, München, Germany.
authors.forename: Tanja
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Pander
authors.affiliation: LMU München, Institute for Medical Education, München, Germany.
authors.forename: Maximilian
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Gradel
authors.affiliation: LMU München, Medizinische Klinik IV, München, Deutschland.
authors.forename: Philip
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: von der Borch
authors.affiliation: Klinikum der Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München, Institut für Didaktik und Ausbildungsforschung in der Medizin, München, Deutschland.
authors.forename: Martin R
authors.initials: MR
authors.lastname: Fischer
authors.affiliation: Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität, Neurologische Klinik und Poliklinik, Klinikum Großhadern, München, Deutschland.
authors.forename: Konstantinos
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Dimitriadis
mesh_terms: D002321:Career Choice; D003661:Decision Support Techniques; D004503:Education, Medical, Graduate; D005858:Germany; D006801:Humans; D008511:Medicine; D013337:Students, Medical / Q000523:psychology*; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D014830:Vocational Guidance
keywords: Undergraduate medical education; career counselling; choice of specialty; graduate medical education; mentoring