Characteristics of Medical Students and Residents Who Select Psychiatry

Abstract

Effective recruitment of psychiatric residents begins with understanding medical students' motivations for entering psychiatry. The author reviews the recent literature on the personalities of medical students interested in psychiatry compared with those interested in other specialties, the positive and negative factors that medical students cite when deciding whether to enter psychiatry, and the variables that are important to medical students and residents when selecting psychiatry residency programs. The implications of these studies for enhancing recruitment into psychiatry are discussed.

UK crisis in recruitment into psychiatric training

“…However, not all their conclusions may be generalisable given the differences in both training and healthcare systems around the world. The longstanding factors that have dissuaded medical students and newly qualified doctors from pursuing a career in psychiatry have already been well described in literature in the USA 3,[5][6][7][8][9][10] and there is a growing evidence base in the UK. 1,[11][12][13] Although individual factors have been identified, the constellation of all the key issues in the UK has not yet been addressed collectively.…”

The Psychiatry Institute for Medical Students: A Decade of Success

“…R ecruiting medical students into psychiatric residency programs has received much attention. In the 1980s and 1990s, North American psychiatric residency programs experienced numerous barriers to recruiting highquality medical students (1)(2)(3)(4)(5). This remains a problem around the world.…”