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Purpose

To examine the stability and switching patterns of student career interests over the course of medical school.

Method

From 2001 through 2004, during the first two weeks of classes, a survey on career interest was distributed to first-year students in 15 classes at eight Canadian medical schools. Students indicated interest in eight broad career paths (emergency medicine, family medicine, internal medicine, obstetrics–gynecology, pediatrics, psychiatry, surgery, and “other”) and ranked their top three. Following these students’ residency match three to four years later, student residency career choice was linked to their career interest at medical school entry. For students whose career interests switched between medical school entry and exit, switching patterns were examined in terms of careers’ matching difficulty scores (MDSs).

Results

Of 1,941 eligible students, 1,542 contributed to the final analysis. Family …