Becoming the Best Mom or the Best Doctor? Gender Inequality and Medical Students’ Specialty Choice

• Main Author: Lawson, Casey L
• Format: Others
• Published: Digital Commons @ East Tennessee State University 2013
• Subjects: Family Medicine; Primary Care; Medical Students; Specialty Choice; Gender; Physician Stereotypes; Medicine and Health Sciences; Sociology
• Online Access: https://dc.etsu.edu/etd/2265; https://dc.etsu.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=3377&context=etd

In anticipation of an expected national shortage of primary care physicians, 24 medical students from the East Tennessee State University Quillen College of Medicine were selected through a snowball sample and participated in in-depth interviews. A major aim of the study was to explore the social and economic factors influencing students’ specialty choice and career interests. Students’ perceptions of “rural” environments, student debt, professional obligations, specialties, and preceptorship experiences were analyzed. Students’ gender heavily influenced their feelings about choosing a medical specialty, as did their stereotypes of physicians in particular medical fields. The thesis concludes with recommendations for challenging negative stereotypes about primary care professions and addressing patterns of inequality within the medical profession.