The Junior-Year Psychiatric Clerkship and Medical Students' Interest in Psychiatry

Narrative review of the impact of clinical psychiatry attachments on attitudes to psychiatry

“…One study compared attitudes with actual career decisions, finding that the strongest predictor of actual career choice was post-attachment attitude. 39 Interestingly, 2 Weak evidence 2 studies available that find a significant association in the same direction or 3 studies available, of which 2 find a significant association in the same direction and the third study finds no significant association 3 Strong evidence 3 studies available that find an association in the same direction or 44 studies available, of which 466% find a significant association in the same direction and no more than 25% find an opposite association…”

“…Although it is reported that students find out-patient attachments more useful and rewarding, 53 this may not affect their career choice. 39 In-patient attachments may reinforce negative attitudes, for example that psychiatric illnesses are untreatable. 54 However, students benefit from continuity, closer supervision and demonstration of obvious psychopathology.…”

Factors Affecting the Choice of Psychiatry as a Specialty and Satisfaction among Turkish Psychiatry Residents

“…There are inconsistent results in the literature on the timing of the selection of psychiatry as a specialty [2,4,8]. Many studies emphasized that the choice of psychiatry as a career was made before entering medical school [4], while other studies underlined the importance of psychiatric teaching and the psychiatry clerkship experience [2,9,10]. In the study of Dein et al [8], the majority of 87 consultant psychiatrists indicated that they made the decision to specialize in psychiatry after medical school.…”

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

“…However, as Brockington & Mumford (2002) point out, little is known about prospective medical students' career intentions or attitudes before they start their medical studies and how these compare with those of medical undergraduates. A positive attitude to psychiatry is, unsurprisingly, linked to the likelihood of becoming a psychiatrist (Nielsen, 1980;Clardy et al, 2000). Equally important, such positive attitudes may make doctors more responsive to the psychological dimension of physical illness and thus benefit patients, whatever their primary diagnosis (Nielsen & Eaton, 1981).…”