Academic medicine : journal of the Association of American Medical Colleges
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Comparative Study
The influence of controllable lifestyle and sex on the specialty choices of graduating U.S. medical students, 1996-2003.
To determine whether the preferences of female medical students are sufficient to explain the recent trend of U.S. medical students choosing specialties with controllable lifestyles. ⋯ Controllable lifestyle was strongly associated with the recent trends in specialty choice for both women and men and could not be explained solely by the specialty preferences of women.
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The events of 9/11 highlighted the limitations of the United States health care system in responding to large-scale public health emergencies. The key for an effective response to any mass casualty event is preparedness; thus, the education of medical students has become a priority. The Association of American Medical Colleges (AAMC) recommended that the nation's medical schools should thoroughly educate students about the public health and emergency services systems to ensure coordinated responses to weapons of mass destruction or other public health threats. ⋯ The course goal is to (1) educate students on resources available for regional disaster response; (2) define principles of resource management in disaster response; (3) identify specific agents associated with bioterrorism; and (4) understand the psychosocial aspects of disasters. The course was well received, and the 2004-05 session was improved, based on student and faculty feedback. The authors describe the details of the course (specifically, how the course was tailored to fit the AAMC guidelines), changes in students' knowledge and attitudes, and how the course was improved.
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Recent reports on medical students' career choices suggest that lifestyle increasingly influences career decisions. The authors addressed the changing influence of lifestyle and income on career choice, how these influences differ by specialty, and the specific careers students identify as lifestyle friendly. ⋯ Lifestyle and income have become more important to medical students in their career choice, and the relative influence of these factors varies considerably between specialties. This study suggests that previous efforts to dichotomize careers into those with controllable and uncontrollable lifestyles may mask important complexities.
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To estimate the impact of a U.S. inner-city medical education program on medical school graduates' intentions to practice in underserved communities. ⋯ Training in the UCLA/Drew program was independently associated with intention to practice medicine in underserved communities, suggesting that a medical education program can have a positive effect on students' goals to practice in underserved areas.
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Comparative Study
The relationship between specialty choice and gender of U.S. medical students, 1990-2003.
Women have been postulated to be more responsible than men for the recent trend of lifestyle factors influencing the specialty choices of graduating U.S. medical students. The authors looked at the specialty choices of U.S. medical students between 1990 and 2003 to determine whether and to what degree women were responsible for the trends toward controllable lifestyle specialties. ⋯ Among U.S. medical graduates, women were not more responsible than were men for the trend away from uncontrollable lifestyle specialties over the time period studied. Men and women expressed similar and significant rates of declining interest in specialties with uncontrollable lifestyles.