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Study explores how, why medical students choose psychiatry

Medical students who majored in psychology in college and valued a work-life balance were more likely to choose psychiatry as their intended specialty, according to recent findings.

“After World War II, 7% to 10% of medical school graduates entered psychiatry, but rates declined in the 1970s and have since ranged from 3.1% to 5.5%. Over the past 4 years, the percentage of U.S. medical school seniors choosing psychiatry rose from 3.9% in the 2012 match to 4.2% in the 2013 and 2014 matches, to 4.6% in the 2015 match, and finally to 5% in the 2016 match,” Matthew N. Goldenberg, MD, MSc, of Yale University School of Medicine, and colleagues wrote. “Although psychiatry accounts for 5% of residency slots nationally, since 2011 only 50% to 62% of these slots have been filled by graduates of allopathic U.S. medical schools.”

To characterize factors related to medical students’ specialty choice of psychiatry, researchers analyzed survey data from students who graduated from U.S. allopathic medical schools in 2013 and 2014 (n = 29,713).

Choice of psychiatry increased from 1.6% at the beginning of medical school to 4.1% at graduation.

Stability of psychiatry specialty choice from matriculation to graduation was greater than any other specialty, at approximately 50%.

However, almost 80% of future psychiatrists did not indicate inclination to psychiatry at matriculation.

Students with an “excellent” rating for psychiatry clerkship (OR = 2.66), a major in psychology in college (OR = 2.58) and who reported valuing work-life balance (OR = 2.25) were most likely to choose a career in psychiatry.

“Our results should be of particular interest to medical school admissions committees, policy makers and psychiatric leaders and educators and may help target future pre- and intra–medical school recruitment efforts for psychiatry,” the researchers wrote. “This study raises the possibility of several potential strategies, including recruiting and admitting to medical school students who are more likely to choose the field, offering excellent educational experiences in psychiatry to all medical students, directing recruitment efforts toward students whose backgrounds suggest that they are more likely to choose psychiatry, and emphasizing particular aspects of the field, including work-life balance.” – by Amanda Oldt

Disclosure: The researchers report no relevant financial disclosures.