Table 2.
Mean (SD) scores for career preferences at time of application to medical school and in final year for students who did and did not take intercalated degree. Score of 5 indicates definite intention to go into specialty and 1 definite intention not to go into specialty
| Scale (component specialties) | Application
|
Final year
|
|||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| BSc (n=739) | No BSc (n=1401) | Significance | BSc (n=429) | No BSc (n=1004) | Significance | ||
| Continuing hospital care (medicine in hospital (cardiology, neurology, etc); infectious diseases; obstetrics and gynaecology; genitourinary medicine; geriatrics) | 2.89 (0.52) | 2.91 (0.52) | t=−0.56, 2138 df, P=0.576 | 2.53 (0.57) | 2.52 (0.58) | t=0.33, 1431 df, P=0.744 | |
| Non-continuing hospital care (anaesthetics; ophthalmology; dermatology; radiology/radiotherapy) | 2.43 (0.48) | 2.42 (0.49) | 0.55, 2138 df, P=0.586 | 2.22 (0.57) | 2.22 (0.56) | t=−0.72, 1431 df, P=0.942 | |
| Surgery (neurosurgery, thoracic surgery, etc; traumatic and orthopaedic surgery; ear, nose, and throat) | 3.20 (0.67) | 3.17 (0.72) | t=1.25, 2138 df, P=0.213 | 2.31 (1.00) | 2.30 (1.01) | t=0.18, 1431 df, P=0.858 | |
| Laboratory medicine (microbiology, chemical pathology, haematology; pathology; medical research; basic medical sciences; pharmaceutical industry*) | 2.49 (0.69) | 2.41 (0.68) | t=2.58, 2138 df, P=0.010 | 1.77 (0.61) | 1.52 (0.49) | t=8.25, 1431 df, P<0.001 | |
| Administrative medicine (medical administration; public health*; pharmaceutical industry*; armed forces; forensic medicine; industrial medicine) | 2.07 (0.57) | 2.10 (0.55) | t=−1.48, 2138 df, P=0.139 | 1.57 (0.48) | 1.55 (0.46) | t=0.78, 1431 df, P=0.435 | |
| General practice (single handed; small partnership; large group or health centre; public health*) | 2.65 (0.83) | 2.78 (0.85) | t=−3.52, 2138 df, P<0.001 | 2.27 (0.83) | 2.46 (0.88) | t=−3.83, 1431 df, P<0.001 | |
| Psychiatry | 2.88 (1.05) | 2.89 (1.02) | t=−0.23, 2138 df, P=0.815 | 2.31 (1.12) | 2.32 (1.12) | t=−0.14, 1431 df, P=0.887 | |
| Medical research | 2.73 (1.08) | 2.60 (1.05) | t=2.67, 2138 df, P=0.008 | 2.18 (1.10) | 1.71 (0.88) | t=8.65, 1431 df, P<0.001 | |
*
Item included in two scales and therefore weighted by a half.