Introduction: The present study examines how, during the course of medical education, students in Serbia change their attitude and affinity towards choosing psychiatry as their future residency.
Method: Medical students (MS) in the 2nd year (sophomores, n=105), and in the 5th year (seniors, n=75) of the medical school participated in the survey. A 23-item questionnaire was administered to evaluate their attitude towards psychiatry and was compared to their attitude towards other medical specialties (internal medicine, surgery, pediatrics, gynecology, general medicine).
Results: Attitude towards psychiatric residency changed during the course of medical studies. The 5th year students exhibited lower attitude scores regarding psychiatry when compared to their junior colleagues and when weighted on their socio-demographic background and attitude towards other residencies. Positive attitude was evident in 15% sophomores and 16% seniors, while negative attitude was 25% in sophomores and 47% in seniors, markedly differing in their statement that they would never consider psychiatry as the choice residency Attitude toward psychiatry was not predictable from the socio-demographic parameters.
Discussion: The data from Serbia show increase in negative attitude towards psychiatry over the course of medical studies, although level of interested students is one of the highest in the world as reported in recent literature.