Participants in a medical student-run clinic and career choice

Abstract

Michael A. Weinreich, Ilana Kafer, Denise Tahara,William H. Frishman

Objective: With the current rate of medical professional training, it is estimated there will be a lack of 45,000 primary care physicians by 2020. Student-run medical clinics (110 nation-wide) may help to fill this need, as well as educate medical students, and have been proposed as a tool to foster student interest in primary care. The impact of involvement with student-run clinics on medical student career choice is unknown. Methods: A prospective, cross-sectional, 12-item, anonymous, web-based survey of 2,060 current/former medical students from the New York Medical College classes of 2005-2015 was conducted. The survey assessed basic demographic information, level of participation with the student-run clinic (La Casita de la Salud), current/future career choice, and self-perceived determinants of career choice. Results: Participation with La Casita was not significantly associated with primary care career choice (50.21% vs. 49.79%; P = 0.659). Of the participants who went into primary care, 26% reported that their experience with La Casita influenced their decision to enter the primary care field and 11% changed their initial career intentions to that of primary care. Those who entered pediatrics and emergency medicine were more likely to have participated with La Casita than not (66% vs. 34%; P = 0.01 and 71% vs. 29%; P < 0.01, respectively). Conclusions: Participation with a student-run clinic may not affect the career choice of an overall medical school class, but it does play an influential role for a minority of students. Student-run clinics may also serve to offer an additional provider source to communities that have limited physician access.