The effect of a student summer assistantship program in family medicine on specialty selection.

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES

Stimulating medical students' interest in family practice is a goal of family medicine education. Summer assistantship programs have been instituted to help address this issue.

METHODS

This study evaluated the results of residency program selection for participants in a family medicine summer assistantship program during a five-year period. Students who applied for the assistantship but were not accepted were used as a comparison group to measure student interest in family medicine. Additional comparisons were made with students who neither applied to nor participated in the program. All students were followed until residency program selection had occurred, after which each participant in the assistantship program completed a questionnaire regarding the effect of the assistantship on residency selection.

RESULTS

The difference in rate of family practice residency selection between the participants (n = 31) and those who applied but were not accepted (n = 57) was not significant (X2 = .3, df = 1, P = NS). However, the difference in family practice residency selection between the participants and those not applying (n = 403) was significant (X2 = 6.46, df = 1, P < .05). Participants selecting a family practice residency program were more likely to feel that the summer assistantship experience was their basis for selecting their residencies (mean 7.6 versus 4.7, P < .05 for t test).

CONCLUSION

The difference in the rate of entry into family practice residency programs between the assistantship participants and those who applied but were not accepted was not significant.