Carry on shrinking: career intentions and attitudes to psychiatry of prospective medical students

Maidment, Rachel; Livingston, Gill; Katona, Margaux; Whitaker, Ella; Katona, Cornelius

doi:10.1192/pb.27.1.30

Cited by 49 publications

(50 citation statements)

References 13 publications

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“…Although some studies (Burra et al, 1982;Shelley & Webb, 1986) have suggested that the clinical posting makes the attitude more positive, other studies (Galletly et al, 1995) have found little or no change as a result. A related study (Maidment et al, 2003) involving sixth-form students showed a surprising level of interest in psychiatry, with 12.4% wanting to pursue careers as psychiatrists. Nevertheless, recruitment and retention of psychiatrists continues to be a major problem in the UK, where 12% of consultant psychiatrist posts remain vacant (Royal College of Psychiatrists, 2002).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Psychiatry as a career choice compared with other specialties: A survey of medical students

2004

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Aims and MethodThe aim of this study was to determine the attitudes of medical students in the UK towards different specialties as career options and to ascertain the position of psychiatry among these specialties. Students belonging to a London medical school completed a questionnaire.ResultsAmong the 301 students who completed the survey, psychiatry was the least popular clinical specialty. The study revealed that the students had a number of misconceptions about psychiatry. A family history of mental illness was significantly associated with choosing psychiatry as a career.Clinical ImplicationsConsidering the unpopularity of the specialty, it is likely that recruitment of psychiatrists will continue to be a major problem for the foreseeable future. Measures need to be taken to dispel the misconceptions about psychiatry.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Psychiatry as a career choice compared with other specialties: A survey of medical students

2004

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“…We designed a structured questionnaire using a Likert scale incorporating factors that had been suggested to relate to recruitment in psychiatry in a systematic review of current literature (Wilkinson et al, 1983;Prins, 1998;Baxter et al, 2001;Galeazzi et al, 2003;Maidment et al, 2003;McParland et al, 2003). We interviewed six consultant psychiatrists and conducted a focus group with SHOs in psychiatry to find out whether we had covered the entire range of reasons; this resulted in the addition of further questions.…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The underrecruitment of British medical graduates is masked by overseas recruitment into the specialty. The overall shortfall of doctors has been partially addressed by increasing the number of medical students and medical schools, but this does not address the more specific issue of shortage within the specialties (Maidment et al, 2003). Goldacre et al (2004) found that only 4.3% of all respondents in the first year after their graduation signified that psychiatry was their first choice of long-term career, and there had been very little change between 1974 and 2000.…”

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confidence: 99%

“…These have been carried out among potential psychiatrists in their premedical years (Maidment et al, 2003), in medical school (Schumacher, 1964;Wilkinson et al, 1983;Maidment et al, 2003), during pre-registration house jobs (Creed & Goldberg, 1987), and among senior house officers (SHOs; Clarke-Smith & Tranter, 2002;Maidment et al, 2004). They have found that career plans change both during and after medical school.…”

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confidence: 99%

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‘Why did I become a psychiatrist?’: survey of consultant psychiatrists

Dein¹,

Livingston

Bench

2007

Psychiatr. bull.

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Aims and MethodTo find out why consultant psychiatrists chose psychiatry as a career. A questionnaire was developed and posted to 87 consultant psychiatrists in substantive posts within a London psychiatric training scheme.ResultsThe survey had a response rate of 83% (72 out of 87). The majority of consultants (n=40) chose psychiatry as a career after leaving medical school. The most important reasons cited were empathy with the patient group (36.1%), the interface of psychiatry with the neurosciences (25%), the better working conditions expected in psychiatry (20.8%) and medical school teaching of the subject (19.4%).ConclusionsThe study highlights the need for recruitment efforts after medical school. The findings also reflect the lasting influence of medical school exposure to psychiatry. Interventions for improving recruitment in psychiatry are suggested. The under-recruitment of British medical graduates is masked by overseas recruitment into the specialty.

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“…3 There are more recent studies regarding attitudes of medical undergraduates towards psychiatry, and these suggest unfavourable attitudes towards psychiatry as a career compared with other medical disciplines. 4 The need for proactive career advice and positive role models at an undergraduate level in order to encourage psychiatry as a career choice has been identified: 5 only 4-5% of UK graduates make this choice currently, with 10-11% being the figure needed in order to sustain recruitment requirements into psychiatry. 6 To date, undergraduate teaching in psychiatry has largely been by psychiatrists, although, with the introduction of hybrid curricula in medical schools such as that at Keele School of Medicine, 7 teaching may increasingly be provided in wider settings and by a broader group of professionals.…”

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confidence: 99%

Survey of general practitioners' attitudes towards psychiatry

2010

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Aims and methodThere is a lack of current data regarding attitudes of doctors towards psychiatry. General practitioners (GPs) are increasingly involved in teaching psychiatry, and their attitudes towards psychiatry may affect their ability to promote psychiatry. The main aim of the study is to inform on current attitudes of GPs towards psychiatry as a discipline. The Attitudes Towards Psychiatry (ATP-30) questionnaire was administered to all GPs within Shropshire.ResultsThe response rate was 61% (n = 145 from N = 239). The mean score for the ATP-30 was 113.9. An association was found between GP trainer status and higher ATP-30 scores. Positive associations were found between demographic data (age, length of career, postgraduate experience of psychiatry, involvement in undergraduate teaching, GP trainer status) and individual response items on the ATP-30 scale.Clinical implicationsGeneral practitioners in Shropshire have a positive attitude towards psychiatry. Associations between demographic data and ATP-30 scores indicate that GPs with more experience of psychiatry and those involved in training may have more positive attitudes. The main limitation of the study is the lack of proven validity of the scale for use in this population. The positive attitude towards psychiatry is consistent with GPs providing the role models needed if they are to be involved to a greater degree with teaching and promoting psychiatry as a career. The need for the development of a more specific tool or an update to the existing tool is discussed.

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Carry on shrinking: career intentions and attitudes to psychiatry of prospective medical students

Cited by 49 publications

References 13 publications

Psychiatry as a career choice compared with other specialties: A survey of medical students

Psychiatry as a career choice compared with other specialties: A survey of medical students

‘Why did I become a psychiatrist?’: survey of consultant psychiatrists

Survey of general practitioners' attitudes towards psychiatry

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