What attracts medical students towards psychiatry? A review of factors before and during medical school

Abstract

Potential psychiatrists decide on their careers before, during or after medical school. This article summarises the literature focusing on the first two groups. Pre-medical school factors associated with choosing psychiatry include gender, academic aptitude, ethnicity and migration, exposure to mental illness, economic considerations and medical school route and selection. Factors involved in influencing career choice at medical school level include attitudes towards psychiatry, teaching methods, quality and length of clinical exposure, electives and enrichment activities, and personality factors. Considering these factors may improve recruitment to psychiatry and address shortages in the speciality.

Declaration of interest: The authors were part of the International Survey of Student Career Choices in Psychiatry (ISoSCCiP) which was funded by a World Psychiatric Association Grant. The authors alone are responsible for the content and writing of the paper.