Exploring Influences on Medical Students' Specialty Choices in Hungary: Insights into Character and Temperament, with Emphasis on General Practice Amid Physician Shortages

Viktor Rekenyi, László Kolozsvári

Keywords: Medical students, specialty choices, Hungary, Physician shortage, Career motivation, Healthcare system

Background:

The healthcare delivery system in Hungary faces significant challenges due to a shortage of family physicians. Addressing this issue requires recognizing the potential contribution of medical students and understanding the personal factors that influence their career choices.

Research questions:

This study focuses on the diminishing appeal of family medicine and seeks to identify the factors influencing medical students' specialty choices, particularly in general practice.

Method:

To gather data for this cross-sectional study, a comprehensive questionnaire was developed. It included demographic questions, inquiries about the advantages and disadvantages of pursuing a career as a General Practitioner (GP), and the shortened Temperament and Character Inventory (TCI), validated in Hungarian. The English version of TCI55 utilized the same items from the original inventory. However, it is important to note that the English version has not been validated yet, and this discrepancy should be addressed in future research. Statistical analysis, employing Chi-square, Mann-Whitney U tests, Kruskal-Wallis tests, and Spearman’s rank correlations, explored the association between motivating factors and their rankings.

Results:

Results revealed that 306 fifth-year medical students from both International (N=162) and Hungarian (N=144) cohorts participated in the questionnaire. International students displayed a significantly higher inclination towards choosing general practice as their primary specialization (p=0.002). Their main motivation was the perception of general practice as an enticing career. In contrast, Hungarian students primarily cited a family-friendly workplace as their main motivation. Both groups agreed on the potential drawback of general practice being monotonous or boring work. Furthermore, students aspiring to become general practitioners scored higher on the Self-Directedness scale (p=0.013).

Conclusions:

In conclusion, this study highlights diverse factors influencing medical students' interest in general practice. The findings emphasize the importance for medical schools to focus on early criteria that make general practice an attractive option, ultimately contributing to an increased pool of candidates in Hungary's healthcare system.

Points for discussion:

Motivations for General Practice

Cultural Variances in Career Choice

Temperament's Role in Career Aspirations:

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