Factors influencing the choice of specialty among medical students in Lebanon.

STATEMENT OF THE PROBLEM

We focus on graduating students from two medical schools in Lebanon to identify the proportions who select primary care careers, to highlight factors that are considered when making a career choice, and to compare these among primary care (PC) and non-primary care (NPC) candidates.

METHODS

Anonymous self-administered questionnaire was used to assess student demographics, chosen career, and perceived level of importance concerning 27 career influencing factors using a 5-point Likert scale.

RESULTS

127 (97%) students responded. 53 (42%) students selected primary care. 20 (61%) of the females were in the primary care group. Among all, the most important factors scored (3.30 to 3.06) represent: "intellectual opportunities", "match of personal interest and skills" and "helping and social responsibilities". Least important factors scored (1.96 to 1.13) and represent: "encouragement/role models", "clerkships and courses", and "residency issues". "Diversity in diagnosis and treatment" and "emphasis on patient education and prevention" were significantly higher for the primary care career groups (p = 0.001, p = 0.001) and "working with new technology" significantly more important (p = 0.001) for the non-primary care group.

CONCLUSION

Among the students surveyed "intellectual opportunities", "match of personal interest and skills" and "helping and social responsibilities" were the most important criteria reported to influence their choice of career in medicine.