How attending and resident reactions influence medical student specialty selection

Purpose Medical students may not be choosing a specialty solely based on personal factors, but also the reactions of attendings and residents. This research aims to understand the influence of attending and resident reactions on specialty selection. Methods A Qualtrics survey was sent out to M4s at three medical schools across the US. Demographic information and responses regarding specialty decisions and reactions from residents and attendings were collected. Results The survey showed that 41% of M4s felt uncomfortable with sharing their intended specialty selection with attendings and residents. Additionally, 26.8% of students reported changing their intended specialty based on the reactions received from attendings and residents. There were 363 open-ended responses which were qualitatively analyzed and organized into three themes: (1) fear of retaliation, (2) concern of negative judgment, and (3) worry about a negative change in teaching after a disclosure. Conclusions Opinions of attendings and residents may influence medical students’ specialty selection in some unfavorable ways. Creating safe spaces for medical students to discuss specialties without affecting career trajectory is vital. Sharing strategies with attendings and residents on how to provide constructive feedback and have coaching conversations is a next step.