Career intentions and perceptions of general practice on entry to medical school: baseline findings of a longitudinal survey at three UK universities

Richard Darnton; Efthalia Massou; James Brimicombe; John Kinnear; Roger Tisi; Alys Burns; Diana F Wood; Paul O Wilkinson

doi:10.3399/BJGPO.2021.0120

Career intentions and perceptions of general practice on entry to medical school: baseline findings of a longitudinal survey at three UK universities

BJGP Open. 2021 Dec 14;5(6):BJGPO.2021.0120. doi: 10.3399/BJGPO.2021.0120. Print 2021.

Authors

Richard Darnton¹, Efthalia Massou², James Brimicombe², John Kinnear³, Roger Tisi³, Alys Burns⁴, Diana F Wood⁵, Paul O Wilkinson⁵

Affiliations

¹ Department of Public Health and Primary Care, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK rmd61@medschl.cam.ac.uk.
² Department of Public Health and Primary Care, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK.
³ School of Medicine, Anglia Ruskin University, Cambridge, UK.
⁴ Norwich Medical School, University of East Anglia, Norwich, UK.
⁵ School of Clinical Medicine, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK.

Abstract

Background: Medical graduates from the universities of Oxford and Cambridge have a lower intention to become GPs compared with other UK medical graduates. It is not clear to what extent this difference is present on admission to medical school.

Aim: To compare the career intention and influencing factors of students on admission to different UK medical schools.

Design & setting: First year of a 6-year prospective cohort study of medical students admitted in autumn 2020 to the three East of England medical schools: University of East Anglia (UEA), University of Cambridge (UOC), and Anglia Ruskin University (ARU).

Method: An online survey instrument was administered at the beginning of the first year. This measured self-reported career interests and various influencing factors, including perceptions of general practice.

Results: UOC students declared a lower intention to become a doctor, a higher likelihood of choosing careers in pathology and public health, and a much lower likelihood of becoming a GP than students of UEA or ARU (all at P<0.001). In all three schools, the phrases least associated with general practice were 'opportunities for creativity/innovation' and 'research/academic opportunities', whereas the phrases most associated with general practice were 'favourable working hours' and 'flexibility'. However, research/academic opportunities were far more important, and favourable working hours far less important, to UOC students (P<0.001 for both) than to students of UEA or ARU.

Conclusion: UOC students' lower intention to become a GP appears to be present on entry to medical school. This may be explained in part by these students placing a higher importance on research/academic opportunities, combined with the widely held perception that GP careers lack these opportunities.

Keywords: career choice; general practice; intention; medical schools; medical students; perception; primary healthcare; prospective studies.