Career advising in family medicine: a theoretical framework for structuring the medical student/faculty advisor interview

Figures & data

Fig. 1 Diagramatic Flow of 5 Career Advising Discussion Topics.

Table

Medical student statement	Faculty advisor inquiry
‘I think I like family medicine but I also did really well in OB.’	‘What is it that you enjoy about both of these specialties?’ ‘What energizes you, what drains you?’
‘I like working with my hands and think I would be good at surgery but I miss the patient interaction.’	‘What do you value most about your work?’

Table

Medical student statement	Faculty advisor inquiry
‘I heard family physicians get sued more often.’	‘How would you find out if that is indeed true?’
‘Faculty members say you don't make enough money in family medicine to pay back your loans.’	‘Whom could you speak with who might provide you with facts?’ ‘What do you think they mean by “enough”?’
‘Don't you only see cough and colds in family medicine?’	‘Why might someone have this perception?’
‘My microbiology professor told me I was too smart to go into family medicine.’	‘Why might the microbiology professor have that perception?’ ‘Where do they work?’ ‘What is their knowledge of family medicine?’ ‘What basis would they have to make this judgment?’

Table

Medical student statement	Faculty advisor inquiry
‘Everyone says that only the students at the bottom percentile of the class go into Family Medicine.’	‘How widely is this viewpoint held?’ ‘How have they come to hold this opinion?’ ‘What information would you need to form your own judgment?’

Fig. 2 The Ecology of Medical Care.

Table

Medical student statement	Faculty advisor inquiry
‘I hear that family physicians make more errors and do not provide good patient care.’	‘Why might that be the perception at an academic medical center?’ ‘Where could you find a reasonable source of information to find the answer to that question?’
‘No one respects family doctors.’	‘What experiences led you to this conclusion?’ ‘How would you verify if this statement is true or not?’ ‘Where and with whom would you want to confirm impressions of family doctors?’
‘I want to do something more challenging than general medicine.’	‘How did you form the perception that general medicine is not challenging?’ ‘How is practicing medicine in an academic hospital different than community practice?’

Table

Medical student statement	Faculty advisor inquiry
‘I think I like family medicine but I also did really well in OB?’	‘What is it that you enjoy about both of these specialties?’ ‘What energizes you, what drains you?

Table

Medical student statement	Faculty advisor inquiry
‘Faculty members say you don't make enough money in family medicine to pay back your loans.’	‘Whom could you speak with who might provide you with facts?’ ‘What do you think they mean by “enough”?’
‘My microbiology professor told me I was too smart to go into family medicine.’	‘Why might the microbiology professor have that perception, where do they work, what is their knowledge of family medicine?’

Table

Medical student statement	Faculty advisor inquiry
‘Everyone says that only the students at the bottom percentile of the class go into Family Medicine.’	‘How widely is this viewpoint held?’ ‘How have they come to hold this opinion?’ ‘What information would you need to form your own judgment?’

Table

Medical student statement	Faculty advisor inquiry
‘No one respects family doctors.’	‘What experiences led you to this conclusion?’ ‘How would you verify if this statement is true or not?’ ‘Where and with whom would you want to confirm impressions of family doctors?’