Department of Medicine, Christchurch School of Medicine, University of Otago, Christchurch, New Zealand. Email:
J Prim Health Care. 2020 Jun;12(2):159-165. doi: 10.1071/HC19097.
INTRODUCTION Intercalated degrees are one of the most focused undergraduate research training activities offered to medical students worldwide. The effect of intercalating on actual career choices has not been previously investigated. AIM To examine the effect of obtaining an intercalated research degree on choosing general practice as a career. METHODS This was a retrospective, matched cohort study of intercalating students at the University of Otago, New Zealand (1995-2008). Medical students who completed the intercalated Bachelor of Medical Sciences with Honours, BMedSc(Hons), degree were retrospectively identified. Gender- and graduation year-matched controls were identified from a publicly available graduate database in a 1:1 ratio. MEDLINE® and Google Scholar-indexed publications resulting from BMedSc(Hons) projects were determined using standardised search criteria. Speciality choice was obtained from online lists of registered doctors. RESULTS Over the 14-year period, 99 (3.9%) students completed an intercalated degree with a publication rate of 36.4%. Of these, 42 (42.4%) were female and over two-thirds (68.7%) of projects were laboratory-based. The median follow-up period after graduation was 14 years (range 7.7-21.7 years). The congruence between students' BMedSc(Hons) research subject area and clinical speciality was 9.1%. Sixteen (16.2%) intercalating students chose general practice as a career, whereas 83 (83.8%) chose 19 different hospital-based specialties. Compared to controls, students who completed an intercalated degree were significantly less likely to pursue a career in general practice (odds ratio 0.37; 95% confidence interval=0.18 - 0.77; P=0.007). DISCUSSION The present study findings suggest that completing an intercalated degree is associated with lower odds of pursuing a career in general practice. Future research should explore reasons for this observation to help develop strategies to promote primary care and general practice careers among medical graduates, including those interested in research careers.
介绍 插班学位是全球向医学生提供的最专注的本科研究培训活动之一。 以前尚未研究过插班对实际职业选择的影响。 目的 检查获得插班研究学位对选择普通科作为职业的影响。 方法 这是新西兰奥塔哥大学（1995-2008 年）插班学生的回顾性匹配队列研究。 从公共研究生数据库中以 1：1 的比例确定了性别和毕业年份匹配的对照组。 使用标准搜索标准确定了从 BMedSc（Hons）项目中产生的 MEDLINE®和 Google Scholar 索引出版物。 通过在线注册医生名单获得专业选择。 结果 在 14 年期间，有 99 名（3.9％）学生完成了插班学位，发表率为 36.4％。 其中，42 名（42.4％）是女性，超过三分之二（68.7％）的项目是基于实验室的。 毕业后的中位随访期为 14 年（7.7-21.7 年）。 学生的 BMedSc（Hons）研究主题领域与临床专业之间的一致性为 9.1％。 有 16 名（16.2％）插班学生选择普通科作为职业，而 83 名（83.8％）选择了 19 种不同的医院专科。 与对照组相比，完成插班学位的学生从事普通科职业的可能性明显较低（优势比 0.37；95％置信区间=0.18-0.77；P=0.007）。 讨论 本研究结果表明，完成插班学位与从事普通科职业的可能性较低有关。 未来的研究应探讨这种观察的原因，以帮助制定策略，在医学生中促进初级保健和普通科职业，包括对研究职业感兴趣的学生。
