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PURPOSE: This study aimed to implement and evaluate the outcomes, perceptions, and satisfaction of the Capstone Program developed at the Catholic University of Korea, which integrates career exploration and medical humanities. METHODS: This study was conducted with fourth-year medical students from 2017 to 2019. First, the study analyzed the trends in the results of Capstone Projects conducted by students as part of their career exploration, where they independently explored areas of interest and selected topics. Second, it qualitatively analyzed the content of individual reports in which students reflected on their experiences from a "medical humanities perspective" through the Capstone Program. Third, it examined students' perceptions and satisfaction with the Capstone Program. RESULTS: The analysis revealed that students chose research topics from a wide range of fields, including basic medicine, clinical medicine, global healthcare, and integrated healthcare systems and innovation. The students reported positive perceptions of their career exploration and research experiences through the Capstone Program, particularly valuing sessions like "Meetings with Seniors" within the conference framework. Students indicated that the Capstone Program enhanced their ability to think introspectively from a humanities perspective, deepening their understanding of their roles and responsibilities as medical professionals. CONCLUSION: The Capstone Program provides a significant opportunity for medical students to explore their career paths and engage in introspective reflection from the viewpoint of medical humanities and social sciences. Thus, the integration of programs like capstone into the broader medical curriculum, focusing on career guidance and the reinforcement of medical humanities education, is imperative.

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PURPOSE: This study aimed to develop a competency-based global health education (GHE) program for medical students and analyze its effectiveness. METHODS: The study had a pretest-posttest control group design. The program was developed based on the eight global health competency domains for medical students and implemented for 18 hours over 6 weeks beginning in September 2023. The intervention and control groups comprised 34 students and 41 students, respectively. The analytical methods used were t-test, chi-square test, and analysis of covariance. RESULTS: Experience with global health activities and pretest scores were controlled as covariates to exclude the effects of participants' general characteristics and pretest scores. The intervention group had outscored the control group on interest in a global health career and the necessity of GHE and also showed significantly higher posttest scores on global competence, global citizenship, and global health competence. Students were generally satisfied with the GHE program. CONCLUSION: A global health competency-based GHE program effectively increases medical students' interest in global health careers, their understanding of the need for GHE, and their global competence, global citizenship, and global health competence. This study is expected to promote GHE program development and research.

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BACKGROUND: The majority of junior doctors in the UK do not proceed directly into specialty training after completing mandatory foundation training but instead take a year out of training. A common post undertaken during a year out of training is a clinical teaching fellow (CTF) role which is used to provide undergraduate medical student teaching. There is only a small amount of literature available regarding CTF posts, and very little of this explores experiences or reasons for taking up such as post. An understanding of the reasons why doctors are choosing to work as CTFs and what their experiences are in post will contribute to how the role is further developed and utilised within the NHS. This study aimed to explore the experiences of CTFs employed in the West Midlands at NHS hospital Trusts. METHODS: CTFs working in Trusts in the West Midlands region registered as students on the Education for Healthcare Professionals Post Graduate Certificate course at the University of Birmingham in August 2019 and 2020 who were enrolled in a longitudinal study were invited to take part in an individual interview asking about their experiences as CTFs. RESULTS: Nine CTFs participated in an interview. Five main themes were identified which related to their experiences in post and plans for future careers. Participants reported choosing to undertake a CTF role due to wanting a break from clinical work and having previously enjoyed delivering teaching. Positive experiences in post included lifestyle related benefits and self-development opportunities. Challenges identified with the role included the impact of COVID-19 and volume of students. CONCLUSION: This is the first study to use interview methodology to explore experiences of CTFs, and has provided a valuable insight into the experiences of those in post in the West Midlands region. Understanding why doctors chose this job and what their experiences are could help to further develop and refine the role. To guarantee demands for teaching staff are met those employing CTFs should be aware of reasons why doctors apply for the post and ensure the post remains a desirable option.

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BACKGROUND: Pediatrics is one of the most important medical specialties in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia) KSA) since it serves a large population. Therefore, the pediatrics residency program is considered one of the most important and competitive programs. Obtaining acceptance in Saudi programs depends mainly on the Saudi Commission for Health Specialties (SCFHS) score, then the applicant enrolls to do the interviews with the training centers in the accepted region. This study aimed to evaluate the factors used by pediatric program directors (PD) in accepting applicants in their pediatric residency program in KSA. METHODS: In this cross-sectional study, an online questionnaire consisting of 49 items was distributed among 76 current and former pediatric PDs in KSA. Participants were selected via non-probability convenience sampling. Data were collected and analyzed using the Social Sciences Statistical Package (SPSS version 26). RESULTS: Of the sample of PD studied, males represented 77.6%, while females represented 22.4%. Most of the PDs were over 50 years old. Most of them were former pediatric PDs (71.1%). The current study found that the Saudi Medical Licensing Exam was the most important factor [3.87 (0.89)] followed by services and electives [3.86 (0.65)], research [3.84 (0.83)], interview [3.77 (0.89)], GPA [3.50 (0.62)], and letter of recommendation [3.39 (0.76)]. CONCLUSIONS: For those interested in pediatrics residency programs in KSA, this study recommends that seeking a high Saudi Medical Licensing Exam (SMLE) score, taking pediatric elective rotations during internship, and acquiring excellent basic knowledge in research were the most important aspects of pediatrics residency selection from the pediatrics PD's perspective.

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BACKGROUND: Podiatry enrolments at Australian and New Zealand universities have decreased by 17.3% since 2015, which threatens the profession's sustainability and the health and wellbeing of Australian and New Zealand people and communities. Reasons for this decline remain unclear due to insufficient evidence on factors influencing career choices. The overarching aim of this study was to identify motivators and barriers for studying podiatry in Australia and New Zealand. METHODS: This study used a convergent mixed methods design. Students enrolled in (i) podiatry and (ii) relevant non-podiatry health, sport or science programs at nine Australian and one New Zealand university, were invited to participate in an online survey. First-year podiatry students were also invited to participate in an online workshop. Quantitative data were analysed using descriptive statistics and linear/logistic regression models. Three independent assessors used inductive thematic analysis for the qualitative data. RESULTS: Overall, 278 podiatry students (mean age 24.9 ± 8.5 years, 65.1% female) and 553 non-podiatry students (mean age 24.8 ± 8.2 years, 75.4% female; 32.2% from physiotherapy and 29.1% from occupational therapy) responded to the survey. Interest in a health-related career, wanting to make a difference to people's health, and opportunity to care for people from different backgrounds/age groups were key motivating factors among podiatry students. Barriers to studying podiatry were encountered by 28.1% of podiatry students. Thematic analysis identified seven themes concerning career choice, which are as follows: (i) awareness of profession and scope of practice; (ii) stereotypes and negative perceptions of the profession; (iii) awareness of career pathways; (iv) job prospects and earning potential; (v) working with people and building relationships; (vi) podiatry is not the first preference; and (vii) barriers which limit student enrolment. CONCLUSIONS: There are a variety of factors that motivate and influence students to study podiatry, however, altruistic reasons are most highly rated. Allied health students have limited understanding of the scope of practice and career opportunities in podiatry. Additionally, the podiatry profession often faces negative stereotypes. Further work is required to reverse the negative stereotypes and perceptions of podiatry and build knowledge of the profession's scope of practice, career pathways/opportunities, job prospects and earning potential.

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INTRODUCTION: Retention of general practice registrars in their training practices is important for addressing the GP workforce deficit and maldistribution of GPs. Given that rural and remote general practices are disproportionately affected by low retention, identifying the factors that promote retention may be as important as developing recruitment strategies in these areas. Quantifying the impact of relevant factors on registrar retention will enable a better understanding of how to incentivise retention and attenuate the loss of the rural workforce to other areas. We sought to establish the prevalence and associations of retention of general practice registrars in their training practices. METHODS: This analysis was a component of the New alumni Experience of Training and independent Unsupervised Practice (NEXT-UP) study: a cross-sectional questionnaire-based study of early-career GPs in conjunction with evaluation of data contemporaneously recorded as part of vocational training. Participants were former registrars of three regional training organisations delivering general practice training in New South Wales, Tasmania, the Australian Capital Territory and Eastern Victoria, who had attained Fellowship of the Royal Australian College of General Practitioners or the Australian College of Rural and Remote Medicine between January 2016 and July 2018. The outcome measured was whether the registrar had previously worked at their current practice during vocational training. Multivariable logistic regression was used to estimate the association between relevant explanatory variables and the outcome. RESULTS: A total of 354 alumni responded (response rate 28%), of whom 322 provided data regarding previous training practice retention, with 190 (59%) having previously worked at their current practice as registrars. Among respondents who reported currently working in a regional-rural practice location (n=100), 69% reported having previously worked at their current practice during training. GPs were more likely to be retained by a practice they had trained at if it was of lower socioeconomic status (adjusted odds ratio (aOR) 0.82 (95% confidence interval (CI) 0.73-0.91), p<0.001 for each decile of socioeconomic status) and if the practice provided two or more of home visits, nursing home visits or after-hours services (aOR 4.29 (95%CI 2.10-8.75), p<0.001). They were less likely to be retained by the practice if training was completed in a regional-rural area (aOR 0.35 (95%CI 0.17-0.72), p=0.004). CONCLUSION: Regional-rural training location is associated with reduced odds of subsequent retention of general practice registrars. This is occurring despite significant government investment in expansion of general practice training in regional and rural areas. The practice factor most strongly associated with GP retention was the provision of out-of-practice and after-hours care. There may be altruistic, rather than monetary, reasons that explain this finding. Such training opportunities, if provided to all trainees, especially in regional and rural areas, would be a learning opportunity, a way of promoting holistic community-based care and an incentive for subsequent retention within the practice and community as an established GP.

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OBJECTIVES: This study addressed two research questions: What factors do doctors in training describe as influencing their choices to apply (or not apply) for specialty training during their Foundation Year 2? Which of these factors are specific to the context of the COVID-19 pandemic, and the unique experiences of the cohort of doctors who qualified early during the pandemic? DESIGN: Sequential explanatory mixed methods study: Quantitative survey. Qualitative semistructured interviews. Quantitative data were analysed with logistic regression. Qualitative data were analysed using reflexive thematic analysis. SETTING: UK-wide. PARTICIPANTS: Junior doctors who graduated medical school in 2020. SURVEY: 320 participants (22% of those contacted). 68% (n=219) were female, 60% (n=192) under 25 and 35% (n=112) 25-30. 72% (n=230) were white, 18% (n=58) Asian and 3% (n=10) black. Interviews: 20 participants, 10 had applied for specialty training, 10 had not. RESULTS: A minority of respondents had applied for specialty training to start in 2022 (114, 36%). While burnout varied, with 15% indicating high burnout, this was not associated with the decision to apply. This decision was predicted by having taken time off due to work-related stress. Those who had not taken time off were 2.4 times more likely to have applied for specialty training (OR=2.43, 95% CI 1.20 to 5.34). Interviews found reasons for not applying included wanting to 'step off the treadmill' of training; perceptions of training pathways as inflexible, impacting well-being; and disillusionment with the community and vocation of healthcare, based, in part, on their experiences working through COVID-19. CONCLUSIONS: Participants infrequently cited factors specific to the pandemic had impacted their decision-making but spoke more broadly about challenges associated with increasing pressure on the health service and an eroded sense of vocation and community.

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OBJECTIVES: To determine how social factors influence career decisions of dental service providers, particularly focusing on examining the impact of dentists' origins. METHODS: Online survey of Hessian panel dentists, with pairwise comparisons to a set of factors impacting their decision-making process. An Analytic Hierarchy Process examined the weighting of influencing drivers in career choice. RESULTS: Dentists from rural backgrounds were more likely to establish practices in rural areas than those from urban origins. Origin correlated with entrepreneurial intentions and a strong association of rural origin. Dentists who grew up in rural areas were 4.19 times more likely to start a business. CONCLUSION: These findings may support efficient resource allocation and support for rural dental businesses.

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BACKGROUND: Statistical evidence shows that nursing students prefer a professional career in hospital settings, leading to a lack of career interest in non-hospital settings such as community and residential aged care facilities. The lack of preference for non-hospital settings has persisted over several decades and presents a need for different approaches that may reveal new information to better understand the individual factors that influence specialty choices and preferences from the students' viewpoints. PURPOSE: The aims of this study were to (1) explore individual factors that impact the nursing specialty choices of final-year nursing students and (2) explore how these factors influence the final-year nursing students' career decision-making process. METHOD: A narrative inquiry approach using semi-structured interviews was carried out with purposively sampled nursing students (n = 12) who had undertaken a final-year clinical placement(s). Data was analysed using two main steps. First, the interviews were restoried and then analysed using the three-dimensional framework. Subsequently, thematic analysis was applied to generate themes. RESULTS: Data analysis generated three main themes: demographic factors, social factors, and career goals. Participants' characteristics and interactions with other individuals and systems influenced their nursing specialty preferences and professional career plans. CONCLUSION: Nursing students' career interests are influenced by individual factors external to their nursing education, such as their age, gender, and life experiences. These student characteristics and experiences facilitated or inhibited a career in some nursing specialties, with the students gauging their ability to practice in a specialty during their CPs. Nursing education should expose and inform students about the core skills, career opportunities, and how to advance their careers in the different nursing specialties. Most importantly, final-year students may need formal career guidance to encourage nursing students' positive attitudes and career interests in different nursing specialties and make realistic career decisions.

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The proportion of female doctors among younger generations has increased in recent years, and support for reemployment after childbirth and childcare leave is important for maintaining stability of local healthcare. We conducted a questionnaire with doctors in the Department of Pediatrics at Ehime University School of Medicine and it's affiliated hospitals to identify issues in the career development of female doctors. Although many female physicians want to pursue career development by obtaining subspecialty qualifications and PhD degrees, a high percentage have not actually obtained them. This is not only due to interruptions in work caused by childbirth and childcare but also because they are busy with housework, childcare, and daily work, and lack sufficient information about career development. In this regard, it appears that beyond improving work-life balance, female doctors must always keep in mind their career design and future goals, as well as their social mission as a physician. For administrators of these departments, acceptance of diversity, providing adequate support for female physicians to return to work after maternity/childcare leave, and balancing childcare and work are important for expanding female doctors' opportunities and career development.

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BACKGROUND: Recruitment to residency programs in hospitals located in other than major hubs ("remotely located") is a challenge in many countries. In 2011, the Israeli Ministry of Health launched a 10-year financial incentive to encourage physicians to enroll in residency programs in such hospitals. Nearly 1 billion New Israeli Shekels (260 million US$) were invested in that program which had only limited success. As a new physician association's collective agreement is impending, we aimed to measure the effectiveness of selected incentives in attracting medical school graduates to residencies in remotely located hospitals. METHODS: This study included Israeli medical students in their final year of medical school. We used an online questionnaire with multiple-choice demographic questions and a 5-point Likert scale to gauge the effect of various incentives on their preference for residency location. RESULTS: Between July and November 2022, 522 students responded (405 studied in Israeli medical schools [out of 705 students] and 117 in foreign medical schools [out of 1936 students]). Forty-two percent had at least one clerkship in a remotely located hospital, and 24% had included at least one remotely located hospital among their top five choices for internship. Only 13% reported that they prefer a residency program in those institutions. The incentive selected by students as most persuasive was government assistance in acceptance to and financial support for a fellowship abroad, followed by a financial grant and fewer on-call hours. Only 7% of the students indicated that no incentive would influence them to choose a remotely located hospital for their residency training. Medical education in a remotely located university and the choice of at least one remotely located hospital among the top five choices for internship were significantly associated with positive incentive receptivity, whereas male sex and older age were associated with negative receptivity. CONCLUSION: This study on the attitudes of Israeli medical school graduates toward incentives aimed at attracting them to residencies in remotely located institutions revealed that career development opportunities and assistance in obtaining fellowships might influence their choice.

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PROBLEM: Our nation faces an urgent need for more primary care (PC) physicians, yet interest in PC careers is dwindling. Students from underrepresented in medicine (UIM) backgrounds are more likely to choose PC and practice in underserved areas yet their representation has declined. Accelerated PC programs have the potential to address workforce needs, lower educational debt, and diversify the physician workforce to advance health equity. APPROACH: With support from Kaiser Permanente Northern California (KPNC) and the American Medical Association's Accelerating Change in Medical Education initiative, University of California School of Medicine (UC Davis) implemented the Accelerated Competency-based Education in Primary Care (ACE-PC) program - a six-year pathway from medical school to residency for students committed to health equity and careers in family medicine or PC-internal medicine. ACE-PC accepts 6-10 students per year using the same holistic admissions process as the 4-year MD program with an additional panel interview that includes affiliated residency program faculty from UC Davis and KPNC. The undergraduate curriculum features: PC continuity clinic with a single preceptor throughout medical school; a 9-month longitudinal integrated clerkship; supportive PC faculty and culture; markedly reduced student debt with full-tuition scholarships; weekly PC didactics; and clinical rotations in affiliated residency programs with the opportunity to match into specific ACE-PC residency tracks. OUTCOMES: Since 2014, 70 students have matriculated to ACE-PC, 71% from UIM groups, 64% are first-generation college students. Of the graduates, 48% have entered residency in family medicine and 52% in PC-internal medicine. In 2020, the first graduates entered the PC workforce; all are practicing in California, including 66% at federally qualified health centers, key providers of underserved care.

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We examine new doctors' and nurses' experiences of transitioning from training to practising as health professionals, drawing on the concept of liminality. Liminality is a stage of 'in-betweenness', involving uncertainty and ambiguity as people leave one social context and reintegrate into a new one. Surprisingly little research has explored new health professionals' experiences of liminality during role and career transitions, particularly in precarious and resource-constrained settings. Drawing on 146 qualitative interviews and seven focus groups, involving 121 new graduate medical doctors and nurses transitioning through internship training in Kenya, we describe three aspects of liminality. First, liminal professional practice, where interns realise that best practices learned during medical and nursing schools are often impossible to implement in resource constrained health care settings; instead they learn workarounds and practical norms. Second, liminal relational identities, where interns leave behind being students and adopt the identities and responsibilities of qualified professionals within pre-existing professional hierarchies of status and expertise. We explain how these new doctors and graduate nurses negotiate their liminal status, including in relation to more experienced but less qualified professional colleagues. We also discuss how interns cope with liminality due to disappointing and inadequate supervision and role modelling from senior colleagues but then find peer support and their place within their own professions. Finally, we discuss how new doctors and nurses come to terms with the precarity of working in resource constrained health systems, abandon expectations of secure, permanent employment and careers, and accept the realities of liminal professional careers. We explain how all three forms of liminality influence professionals' developing practices, identities, and careers. We call for further studies with a specific liminality lens to explore this critical period in health workers' careers, to inform policy and practice responding to global transformations in healthcare professions and practice.

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OBJECTIVE: The goal of this project was to understand the use of artificial intelligence-based interview software (Big Interview) for job interview preparation and its impact on pharmacy students' self-confidence and interview preparedness. METHODS: Two classes of third-year pharmacy students (n = 234) enrolled in Professional Development Seminar were assigned to use Big Interview after attending lectures regarding interview best practices. After the activity, students were assigned to reflect on their experience using the software. Those responses were deidentified and retrospectively reviewed for analysis. RESULTS: Of the 234 students, 229 completed the activity, and 55.0% indicated they had increased self-confidence after the experience, 79.9% thought the activity increased their preparedness for interviews, and 34.5% and 38.9% had high or moderate self-confidence in their ability to earn a second interview or job offer, respectively. Thematic analysis identified positive themes of self-awareness and preparation for future interviews, whereas negative themes included lack of authenticity and lack of job descriptions. CONCLUSION: The data suggest that the use of Big Interview increases student confidence and preparedness for future interviews.

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BACKGROUND: In the Arab region, there's a dearth of research on female surgeons' experiences and challenges. To address this gap, a scoping review aims to map existing literature. It seeks to understand the hurdles faced by female surgeons in Arab countries and examine any gender biases in public preferences for surgeons. No previous reviews were conducted on female surgeons in the Arab region. By identifying systemic barriers, the review aims to promote inclusivity and support for female surgeons in the Arab medical community. METHODS: A scoping review was performed and reported using the PRISMA extension for scoping reviews. Five databases were searched which include PubMed, Web of Science, Scopus, Embase, and ProQuest. The search strategy included three main strings that are "Women" AND "Surgeons" AND "Arab Country". A priori-identified spreadsheet was used for data extraction. RESULTS: A total number of 23 studies were included in this review. The findings were categorized under several headings, such as the general public's preferred gender of surgeon and well-being, challenges, and experiences of female surgeons as well as career perspectives, choices, and satisfaction. CONCLUSIONS: This scoping review explores experiences and challenges faced by female surgeons in the Arab region, emphasizing the need to address systemic barriers and promote inclusivity.

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