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Table 3 Percentages of doctors specifying that each factor had influenced their specialty choice 'a great deal'

From: Early career choices and successful career progression in surgery in the UK: prospective cohort studies

 

Percentages

 

Year One (1993-2002)

Year Three (1993, 1996, 2002)

Year Five (1993-2000)

Factor

Surgery

Other Hospital

GP

Surgery

Other Hospital

GP

Surgery

Other Hospital

GP

Men

         

Domestic circumstances

8.64

10.7

35.4

11.74

14.1

44.6

19.73,4

24.6

61.9

Hours/working conditions

20.63,4

33.1

71.2

27.23,4

36.3

77.6

28.73,4

40.9

83.3

Future financial prospects

24.01,2

13.4

19.1

25.01

11.4

28.5

22.21

11.8

24.1

Career & promotion prospects

29.02

27.8

21.9

28.5

27.8

30.3

30.92

30.4

26.5

Self-appraisal of own skills/aptitudes

49.02

50.7

43.3

50.5

51.9

49.6

57.82

57.4

49.9

Advice from others

16.8

16.0

15.6

19.21,2

15.5

15.0

18.52

14.9

11.7

Experience of chosen subject as a student

47.12

44.5

35.6

26.92

23.3

21.1

25.41,2

21.3

16.5

A particular teacher/department#

33.91,2

27.7

12.4

32.92

29.0

12.6

35.11,2

26.5

5.0

Inclinations before medical school

19.71,2

11.4

14.5

20.21,2

9.7

15.4

16.71,2

9.2

11.1

Experience of jobs so far

56.91,2

48.6

43.7

70.11,2

64.5

49.6

75.31,2

68.2

50.5

Enthusiasm/Commitment

73.31,2

61.3

54.6

71.01,2

60.5

55.7

84.11,2

74.0

58.0

Women

         

Domestic circumstances

9.53,4

16.0

38.5

11.93,4

20.5

50.6

26.23,4

43.9

68.0

Hours/working conditions

25.43,4

37.1

74.7

30.03,4

42.2

83.6

37.93,4

52.1

89.5

Future financial prospects

10.71,4

7.6

14.3

7.44

6.8

20.1

4.94

5.3

14.5

Career & promotion prospects

23.12

22.8

14.3

19.2

21.6

19.5

18.2

21.1

17.3

Self-appraisal of own skills/aptitudes

51.4

49.1

47.6

43.33,4

51.9

50.1

59.0

59.2

54.0

Advice from others

19.52

17.1

16.5

17.9

17.1

17.4

17.51,2

14.1

10.6

Experience of chosen subject as a student

52.42

47.6

37.4

36.71,2

28.9

20.6

33.31,2

23.3

18.1

A particular teacher/department#

43.11,2

31.1

13.8

46.41,2

31.3

10.4

35.81,2

25.5

5.7

Inclinations before medical school

14.9

14.0

14.8

14.7

12.5

14.5

11.1

9.3

13.9

Experience of jobs so far

64.61,2

51.9

50.3

74.42

71.6

56.2

73.62

70.6

55.1

Enthusiasm/Commitment

78.11,2

67.3

61.2

77.31,2

68.5

56.9

86.81,2

78.7

63.1

  1. 1Surgery significantly higher percentage (p < 0.01), compared with responses from those who chose other hospital specialties
  2. 2Surgery significantly higher percentage, compared with responses from those who chose general practice
  3. 3Surgery significantly lower percentage, compared with responses from those who chose other hospital specialties
  4. 4Surgery significantly lower percentage, compared with responses from those who chose general practice.
  5. #This statement was not presented to graduates of 1996 in their third year after graduating. Excluding this statement, the numbers of respondents to each statement varied between 2748 and 2774(year one), 1156 and 1166 (year three),1373 and 1380 (year five) of those whose first choice was surgery, between 7084 and 7156 (year one), 4017 and 4048 (year three), 5114 and 5159 (year five) of those choosing other hospital specialties, and of those choosing general practice between 3493 and 3522 (year one), 2199 and 2221 (year three) and 3257 and 3278 (year five).
  6. Numbers on which this table is based are given in additional file 1.