Medical vocational guidance for adolescents--is it effective?

The outcome of school medical vocational guidance was studied in all 1595 students enrolled in 1987 in grade 9 in the primary schools of Linköping. In grade 9, the school health service had listed 249 students with a chronic disorder. These were sent a questionnaire which was answered by 235 students. Only 5/235 stated that vocational information from physicians and school nurses had been important for their choice of career. No more than 22/235 had chosen a medically ill-suited secondary school study course. This figure is close to the number expected, assuming that all choices of study courses are at random. At follow-up in May 1989, no one said that they had changed study course or work due to their medical disorder. Thus, school medical vocational guidance seems to have little effect on the vocational choices of adolescents with chronic disorders.