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Table 2 Importance of Specialty Selection Criteria: Comparison of Students Interested in FM vs those Interested in Other Specialties

From: Medical students’ perceptions of a career in family medicine

 

ALL Fam Med (N=41)

ALL Others (N=177)

p value

MALES Fam Med (N=13)

MALES Others (N=91)

p value

FEMALE Fam Med (N=28)

FEMALE Others (N=86)

p value

 

N

%

mis

N

%

mis

N

%

mis

N

%

mis

N

%

mis

N

%

mis

Bedside specialty

34

85.0%

1

125

70.6%

0

0.075

12

100.0%

1

58

63.7%

0

0.008

22

78.6%

0

67

77.9%

0

1.000

Immediate satisfaction

14

34.1%

0

102

57.6%

0

0.009

6

46.2%

0

55

60.4%

0

0.376

8

28.6%

0

47

54.7%

0

0.018

Family-oriented specialty

28

70.0%

1

46

26.3%

2

<0.0001

7

58.3%

1

18

20.0%

1

0.008

21

75.0%

0

28

32.9%

1

<0.0001

Medical administration

7

17.1%

0

41

23.4%

2

0.531

2

15.4%

0

25

27.5%

0

0.506

5

17.9%

0

16

19.0%

2

1.000

Direct patient care

32

78.0%

0

100

56.5%

0

0.013

9

69.2%

0

43

47.3%

0

0.235

23

82.1%

0

57

66.3%

0

0.154

Time in the operating room

7

17.1%

0

75

42.6%

1

0.002

2

15.4%

0

41

45.6%

1

0.068

5

17.9%

0

34

39.5%

0

0.041

Controllable lifestyle

34

82.9%

0

116

65.5%

0

0.039

11

84.6%

0

56

61.5%

0

0.130

23

82.1%

0

60

69.8%

0

0.231

Work only in the hospital

8

20.0%

1

36

20.3%

0

1.000

1

8.3%

1

16

17.6%

0

0.685

7

25.0%

0

20

23.3%

0

1.000

Specialty without long-term patient care

4

9.8%

0

21

12.0%

2

0.793

0

0.0%

0

11

12.2%

1

0.351

4

14.3%

0

10

11.8%

1

0.745

High salaries

19

46.3%

0

83

46.9%

0

1.000

8

61.5%

0

46

50.5%

0

0.559

11

39.3%

0

37

43.0%

0

0.827

Perform procedures

10

24.4%

0

95

53.7%

0

0.001

4

30.8%

0

56

61.5%

0

0.068

6

21.4%

0

39

45.3%

0

0.027

Time with family

39

95.1%

0

134

76.1%

1

0.005

12

92.3%

0

61

67.8%

1

0.102

27

96.4%

0

73

84.9%

0

0.182

Academic opportunities

12

29.3%

0

96

54.2%

0

0.005

2

15.4%

0

55

60.4%

0

0.003

10

35.7%

0

41

47.7%

0

0.285

Possibility for private practice

14

34.1%

0

94

53.1%

0

0.037

3

23.1%

0

59

64.8%

0

0.006

11

39.3%

0

35

40.7%

0

1.000

On-call duty as an attending

11

26.8%

0

71

40.1%

0

0.152

5

38.5%

0

30

33.0%

0

0.757

6

21.4%

0

41

47.7%

0

0.016

Prestigious specialty (colleagues)

1

2.5%

1

27

15.3%

0

0.034

0

0.0%

1

20

22.0%

0

0.117

1

3.6%

0

7

8.1%

0

0.677

Specialty with "action"

6

14.6%

0

76

42.9%

0

0.001

4

30.8%

0

46

50.5%

0

0.240

2

7.1%

0

30

34.9%

0

0.004

Care over the long-term

28

68.3%

0

56

31.6%

0

<0.0001

9

69.2%

0

22

24.2%

0

0.002

19

67.9%

0

34

39.5%

0

0.016

Experience during clerkship

22

55.0%

1

81

46.0%

1

0.381

6

50.0%

1

39

42.9%

0

0.760

16

57.1%

0

42

49.4%

1

0.519

Prestigious specialty (population)

1

2.4%

0

23

13.1%

1

0.054

0

0.0%

0

17

18.9%

1

0.119

1

3.6%

0

6

7.1%

1

0.679

Work outside the hospital

10

24.4%

0

12

6.9%

2

0.002

1

7.7%

0

5

5.5%

0

0.561

9

32.1%

0

7

8.3%

2

0.004

Specialty with direct aid to the patient

33

80.5%

0

135

76.7%

1

0.683

11

84.6%

0

69

75.8%

0

0.728

22

78.6%

0

66

77.6%

1

1.000

Time for childrearing

39

95.1%

0

118

67.0%

1

<0.0001

12

92.3%

0

50

54.9%

0

0.013

27

96.4%

0

68

80.0%

1

0.041

Only daytime work

21

51.2%

0

43

24.4%

1

0.001

4

30.8%

0

15

16.5%

0

0.250

17

60.7%

0

28

32.9%

1

0.014

Interesting & challenging specialty

36

87.8%

0

164

93.2%

1

0.328

12

92.3%

0

85

93.4%

0

1.000

24

85.7%

0

79

92.9%

1

0.261