Influence of the clinical rotation on intern attitudes toward pediatrics

Knowledge of graduate student's impressions and attitudes toward pediatrics is important for planning strategies to stimulate their interest in pursuing a career in pediatrics. The clinical pediatric experience may influence many of their misconceptions and apprehension. This study was designed to examine this hypothesis. Rotating interns who were starting pediatric rotations between January 8, 1998 and January 4, 2001 were included prospectively. A structured 2-part, 28-item questionnaire examining their impressions and attitudes toward pediatrics was completed on the first week and at the end of the 8-week rotation. One hundred eighty-eight interns (53.5% males) aged 23 to 30 years (mean 24.8, SD 1.3) were included. One hundred two pre- and 86 post-rotation questionnaires were completed. Selecting pediatrics as the first future career choice did not change significantly at the end of the rotation, from 19.5% to 26% post-rotation. Females were 3.4 times more likely to select pediatrics (95% CI 1.6-7.8, p = 0.001). Several impressions about the specialty were significantly changed at the end of the rotation including worry about inflicting pain (28% vs 12%, p = 0.01), concerns about difficulties in the examination and cooperation of children (22% vs 8%, p = 0.01), and difficulties with intravenous access (43% vs 17%, p = 0.0003). Most interns (76%) felt that their pediatric rotation was better than anticipated. To conclude, although the rotation experience did not increase the likelihood of selecting pediatrics as the first future career choice, many impressions and concerns were positively influenced. The majority reported a better than anticipated experience.