The role of negative factors in changes in career selection by medical students.

The authors in the present study assessed the extent to which negative factors influenced changes in career selection among medical students. Ninety-eight graduating medical students completed a retrospective career choice questionnaire that ascertained the areas of medicine in which they intended to practice and when in their medical curriculum they made this choice, whether this choice represented a change, and, if so, when and why did such a change occur. Responses to these questions indicated that 84 percent of all changes were due to some negative factor about the initial choice, while only 16 percent were due to positive factors concerning a new choice. The results were also classified with regard to disciplines losing and gaining students and the points during the course of study when changes occurred. It was concluded by the authors that time of change and knowledge of reasons for change have different implications for various medical specialties. Medical career selection was likened to the process of hypothesis generation and testing.