Related Experiment Videos
Are there gender differences in choosing a surgical career?
Theresa M Wendel1, Constantine V Godellas, Richard A Prinz
1Department of General Surgery, Rush Presbyterian-St. Luke's Medical Center, 1653 West Congress Parkway, Chicago, IL 60612, USA.
Surgery
|November 8, 2003
Summary
Medical students
Area of Science:
- Medical Education
- Surgical Specialties
- Career Development
Background:
- Declining interest in general surgery among US medical students.
- Increasing number of female medical students potentially impacting specialty choice.
- Need to evaluate factors influencing general surgery career decisions.
Purpose of the Study:
- To evaluate factors influencing general surgery career choices.
- To determine if these factors differ between male and female medical students.
Main Methods:
- Survey distributed to 2002 graduating medical students.
- Assessed factors contributing to career choice and reasons for not choosing general surgery.
- Results stratified by gender.
Main Results:
- Intellectual challenge was the most common reason for choosing a field for both genders.
- Male students more frequently cited practice lifestyle than female students.
- Residency lifestyle, practice lifestyle, and length of training were common reasons for not choosing general surgery for both genders.
Conclusions:
- Practice lifestyle was considered less by women than men when choosing a medical career.
- Lifestyle, electives, and faculty influence career choices for both genders.
- In 2002, men and women cited similar reasons for pursuing or not pursuing general surgery.