Career choices of New Zealand junior doctors

To report career preferences of New Zealand junior doctors, determine what factors influenced their choice, and determine at what stage of their career that choice was made.

A structured questionnaire with anonymous replies was sent to final year medical students as well as to junior doctors in their first to fourth postgraduate year. Questions were based around choice of future career, timing, and certainty of this choice and the factors influencing it.

Of the 400 questionnaires distributed, 256 (64%; 95%CI: 59-69%) were returned. The most popular career choice was medicine (44%; 95%CI: 38-50%), followed by surgery (34%; 95%CI: 29-40%), general practice (30%; 95%CI: 25-36%), paediatrics (29%; 95%CI: 24-35%), and obstetrics and gynaecology (20%; 95%CI: 16-25%). The choice of a career was mostly based on interest in that specialty. Most (70%; 95%CI: 64-75%) final year medical students; and 52% (95%CI: 41-63%), 45% (95%CI: 33-60), and 17% (95%CI: 9-33%) of doctors in postgraduate year 1, 2, and 2+ respectively; had not made a definite career choice. Sixty-nine percent (95%CI: 63-75%) of respondents stated that they plan to work overseas, mostly to travel (70%; 95%CI: 63-77%) and to further their professional training (58%; 95%CI: 59-73%).

Career aspirations of New Zealand junior doctors were similar to those reported by overseas studies. Adequate guidance throughout medical training and opportunity to gather work-experience over several specialties should be encouraged.