Shortage specialties: changes in career intentions from medical student to newly qualified doctor.

There is currently a shortage of doctors in Britain, especially in general practice, psychiatry and pathology. This study aimed to examine whether career intention, especially in the shortage specialties, changes between undergraduate level and graduation. The 234 participants were Senior House Officers and Pre-Registration House Officers, who had provided information about their career intentions in their fourth year of medical school.

Change in attitudes to psychiatry and intention to pursue psychiatry as a career in newly qualified doctors: a follow-up of two cohorts of medical students.

This follow-up study of 234 doctors examined whether improvements in attitudes to psychiatry following an undergraduate psychiatry attachment were maintained after graduation, and explored the relationship between attitudes to psychiatry and intention to pursue psychiatry as a career. Improvements in attitudes following undergraduate psychiatric attachment decayed over time but remained higher than pre-attachment levels. Attitudes of doctors who definitely intended to pursue psychiatry, however, increased at each stage.

The effectiveness of problem-based learning compared to traditional teaching in undergraduate psychiatry.

Objectives: A change from traditional to problem-based learning (PBL) methods in a psychiatry attachment was evaluated by comparing the learning styles, attitudes to psychiatry and examination performance of 2 cohorts of students. It was hypothesised that the PBL curriculum would result in increased deep learning, decreased surface learning, more favourable attitudes to psychiatry and improved examination performance. It was predicted that students' examination success would be related to the use of deep and strategic learning and favourable attitudes.

The effect of a psychiatric attachment on students' attitudes to and intention to pursue psychiatry as a career.

Objectives: This study examined determinants of students' attitudes to psychiatry and intentions to pursue psychiatry as a career, considering: (1) experiences during the clinical attachment; (2) type of curriculum (traditional or problem-based), and (3) student characteristics (age and gender). The relationships between attitudes, career intentions and academic performance were examined.

Method: Fourth year medical students (n = 379) completed questionnaires at the beginning and end of an 8-week psychiatry attachment to assess their attitudes to psychiatry, career intentions and experiences during the attachment.