Students who consider medicine but decide against it

Changes in the medical student applicant pool during the 1980s prompted educators and researchers to question why students' interest in medicine may have shifted. The research presented here addresses the issue of why students may decide against careers in medicine. The authors report historical data from 1983 through 1988 on the number of individuals who expressed an interest in medicine when they took the Medical College Admission Test but failed to apply to medical school, and the results of two surveys sent to such individuals in 1986 and 1988 by the Association of American Medical Colleges. The findings indicate that the non-applicants are a stable and fairly large group (approximately 2,000 each year) and that they decide against medical careers because of financial concerns, discouragement from practicing physicians, and the ability of another field to satisfy their interest in science. These kinds of concerns, as well as some of the other reasons provided by non-applicants, can be changed and so have implications for admission and recruitment programs.