Factors Affecting the Career Choice of Intern Physicians and Their Perspectives on Family Medicine Residency

Aim: This study aimed to determine the career preferences of intern physicians, the factors affecting these preferences and their perspectives on family medicine residency. Method: In this descriptive study, final-year students at a medical school were asked to complete a questionnaire about their socio-demographic information, factors influencing their career choice, and their views on the discipline of family medicine. Results: The study involved 220 students with a mean age of 24.35±1.06 years (range: 23-29), of whom 63.2% (n=139) were female. The three most popular career choices were Dermatology (22.7%), Family Medicine (22.3%), and Psychiatry (17.3%). Among the interns, 87.3% (n=192) thought that family medicine was not sufficiently valued by society and 76.4% (n=168) by other specialists. The factors affecting the preference for family medicine specialty were determined as the ability to adjust working hours, less physical fatigue, less stress, establishing long-term relationships with patients, and providing work-life balance. Of the interns surveyed, 74.6% (n=164) believed that family physicians could provide most of the health services needed by patients but that they did too much simple and repetitive work (63.6%). Conclusion: It is seen that the specialty of family medicine ranked in the top three in career choice among the interns of this medical faculty. It is also important to note that the majority of the interns stated that family physicians were engaged in simple and repetitive tasks and had limited career opportunities when they could provide most of the health services. Keywords: career choice, family practice, medical students, residency