Factors affect decision making in the field of residency training

Abstract

Introduction: In the present, trend of general physician to select residency training in noncontrollable lifestyle specialties is decreased because of social changing. Many institutes have pediatric residents less than their quota. Study of favorite specialty and factors affect decision making should be done to find inspiration for pediatric residency training. Otherwise, there may be the shortage of pediatricians in the future. Objectives of this study were to study the popularity of each specialty in residency training and related factors influencing decision making.

Method: Subjects were the second and third year interns of the Ministry of Public Health. Questionaires about their decision to select specialty in residency training and related factors influencing decision making were distributed to them. Means, chi square, and t-test were used for statistical analysis to compare the influencing factors.

Result: 450 from 1,800 interns (25%) responded to the questionnaires. Internal medicine was the most popular specialty (26.56%). Pediatrics was the second which was selected (20.32%). Other specialties were selected less than 10%. The most influencing factor was their own preference during study medicine. Another important influencing factor was the role model in that fields. Impression to the instructors, practicing in that specialty field before residency training, and feeling to help patients in that field had statistical significance between interns who selected pediatric and non-pediatric rescidency training.

Discussion and Conclusion: Pediatrics was the second popular specialty in residency training. The important factor that should increase the interesting in pediatric residency training was the impression to the pediatric instructors, pediatricians and the doctors who worked in the field of pediatrics.

Key words: Resident, Pediatrics, Influencing factors for residency training