Skip to main content

Table 1 Influence of personal, preclinical and clinical experiences on Japanese medical student specialty preferences

From: Factors considered by medical students when formulating their specialty preferences in Japan: findings from a qualitative study

Personal experience

• "... I had a friend who had anorexia, and she was very sad, so I wanted to help her... I want to be a psychiatric doctor for children..." clinical female student

 

• "... My father is a neurosurgeon, and my grandfather and uncles are physicians... I often injured myself when I was a kid. My father cured the injuries. I respect him... My father was very busy when I was a child, but I saw him working in the hospital, and I respected him a lot... " clinical male student

 

• "... My father is an endocrinologist. Many patients love my father, because some patients told my father that I feel I get well by looking at your face... My father is respected by many patients, so I respect my father." preclinical male student

Pre-clinical experiences

• "... I heard many people's opinion about my being a surgeon as a female. They say it is very difficult for women. In Japan, women when they marry, they have to do more home things and child care."

 

• "...I want to use my hands and I want to help people with my hands... I have always wanted to be a surgeon, and I enjoyed dissecting rats in the laboratory and anatomy class during 1 st and 2 nd year... " preclinical male student

 

• "... First of all, I have only had classroom lectures about what primary care is, and how is it done in the community. I want to actually see it with my own eyes, feel it, and learn it." clinical female student

Clinical experiences

• "... I experienced patient contact only during primary care so far in my clinical clerkships." clinical female student

 

• "... Now I have the recognition of the very complex relationship of society with hospitals and doctors... I enjoyed my off campus experiences in social medicine and rural health most." clinical male student

 

• "... Well, yeah, with regard to what educational processes had an influence, it has been since the spring of fifth year. Yeah, what especially left an impression was psychiatry... for me, at least right now. (Why is that so?) [Its] very impressive. Communication with patients is impressive, they take lots of time. I think you can do a lot." clinical male student

 

• "... Originally I wanted to be a generalist, but Dr. K in the department of general surgery has made me interested in surgery as I much admire him and his worldwide fame." Clinical male student