Change in attitudes to psychiatry and intention to pursue psychiatry as a career in newly qualified doctors: a follow-up of two cohorts of medical students

Abstract

This follow-up study of 234 doctors examined whether improvements in attitudes to psychiatry following an undergraduate psychiatry attachment were maintained after graduation, and explored the relationship between attitudes to psychiatry and intention to pursue psychiatry as a career. Improvements in attitudes following undergraduate psychiatric attachment decayed over time but remained higher than pre-attachment levels. Attitudes of doctors who definitely intended to pursue psychiatry, however, increased at each stage. Attitudes of doctors were predicted by post-attachment attitudes, which in turn were predicted by encouragement from consultants and influences of specialist registrars during the attachment at medical school. There were no differences between a problem-based and a traditional psychiatry curriculum in attitude change. The findings suggest that encouragement during medical school from more senior doctors increases the numbers wanting to pursue psychiatry and may increase the number who subsequently pursue psychiatry as a career.