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Exploring US internal medicine resident career preferences: a Q-methodology study.

Publication ,  Journal Article
Roberts, JK; Schub, M; Singhal, S; Norwood, J; Cassini, T; Hudler, A; Ramadurai, D; Smith, CC; Desai, SS; Weintraub, J; Hasler, SH; Wolf, M ...
Published in: Adv Health Sci Educ Theory Pract
August 2023

Career selection in medicine is a complex and underexplored process. Most medical career studies performed in the U.S. focused on the effect of demographic variables and medical education debt on career choice. Considering ongoing U.S. physician workforce shortages and the trilateral adaptive model of career decision making, a robust assessment of professional attitudes and work-life preferences is necessary. The objective of this study was to explore and define the dominant viewpoints related to career choice selection in a cohort of U.S. IM residents. We administered an electronic Q-sort in which 218 IM residents sorted 50 statements reflecting the spectrum of opinions that influence postgraduate career choice decisions. Participants provided comments that explained the reasoning behind their individual responses. In the final year of residency training, we ascertained participating residents' chosen career. Factor analysis grouped similar sorts and revealed four distinct viewpoints. We characterized the viewpoints as "Fellowship-Bound-Academic," "Altruistic-Longitudinal-Generalist," "Inpatient-Burnout-Aware," and "Lifestyle-Focused-Consultant." There is concordance between residents who loaded significantly onto a viewpoint and their ultimate career choice. Four dominant career choice viewpoints were found among contemporary U.S. IM residents. These viewpoints reflect the intersection of competing priorities, personal interests, professional identity, socio-economic factors, and work/life satisfaction. Better appreciation of determinants of IM residents' career choices may help address workforce shortages and enhance professional satisfaction.

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Published In

Adv Health Sci Educ Theory Pract

DOI

EISSN

1573-1677

Publication Date

August 2023

Volume

28

Issue

3

Start / End Page

669 / 686

Location

Netherlands

Related Subject Headings

  • Surveys and Questionnaires
  • Problem Solving
  • Medical Informatics
  • Internship and Residency
  • Internal Medicine
  • Humans
  • Education, Medical
  • Career Choice
  • 3901 Curriculum and pedagogy
  • 1302 Curriculum and Pedagogy
 

Citation

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Roberts, J. K., Schub, M., Singhal, S., Norwood, J., Cassini, T., Hudler, A., … Wolf, M. (2023). Exploring US internal medicine resident career preferences: a Q-methodology study. Adv Health Sci Educ Theory Pract, 28(3), 669–686. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10459-022-10172-0
Roberts, John K., Micah Schub, Surbhi Singhal, Jamison Norwood, Thomas Cassini, Andi Hudler, Deepa Ramadurai, et al. “Exploring US internal medicine resident career preferences: a Q-methodology study.Adv Health Sci Educ Theory Pract 28, no. 3 (August 2023): 669–86. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10459-022-10172-0.
Roberts JK, Schub M, Singhal S, Norwood J, Cassini T, Hudler A, et al. Exploring US internal medicine resident career preferences: a Q-methodology study. Adv Health Sci Educ Theory Pract. 2023 Aug;28(3):669–86.
Roberts, John K., et al. “Exploring US internal medicine resident career preferences: a Q-methodology study.Adv Health Sci Educ Theory Pract, vol. 28, no. 3, Aug. 2023, pp. 669–86. Pubmed, doi:10.1007/s10459-022-10172-0.
Roberts JK, Schub M, Singhal S, Norwood J, Cassini T, Hudler A, Ramadurai D, Smith CC, Desai SS, Weintraub J, Hasler SH, Schwiesow TM, Connors GR, Didwania A, Hargett CW, Wolf M. Exploring US internal medicine resident career preferences: a Q-methodology study. Adv Health Sci Educ Theory Pract. 2023 Aug;28(3):669–686.
Journal cover image

Published In

Adv Health Sci Educ Theory Pract

DOI

EISSN

1573-1677

Publication Date

August 2023

Volume

28

Issue

3

Start / End Page

669 / 686

Location

Netherlands

Related Subject Headings

  • Surveys and Questionnaires
  • Problem Solving
  • Medical Informatics
  • Internship and Residency
  • Internal Medicine
  • Humans
  • Education, Medical
  • Career Choice
  • 3901 Curriculum and pedagogy
  • 1302 Curriculum and Pedagogy