Medical school graduates gravitate toward specialties

Primary care matches were down again for this year's Match Day while interest in anesthesiology and emergency medicine was up.

By Damon Adams, AMNews staff. April 8, 2002.

Family practice, that's the dream of University of Oklahoma College of Medicine fourth-year medical student Russell Kohl.

But it's a dream that has seen its popularity steadily decline.

Fewer U.S. medical school seniors chose residency positions in family medicine this year -- continuing a trend that began in 1997, according to the National Resident Matching Program. Internal medicine also saw decreases from 1999 to 2002, and residency matches in pediatrics dipped from 2001 to 2002.

While primary care matches were down on March 21, this year's Match Day, interest among graduating students increased in specialties such as anesthesiology.

Medical leaders say increasing job opportunities for specialists and a desire to enter high-paying specialties to help reduce school debts are two of the reasons interest in primary care specialties has been declining.

Kohl gives another explanation: "People are choosing specialties largely based on perceived lifestyles. People will choose radiology because they perceive their lifestyle will be comfortable and they'll be well-paid."

Set to start his residency with the family medicine program at the University of Oklahoma in Oklahoma City in June, Kohl is part of the American Academy of Family Physicians' efforts to regain student interest in family practice. He's a student member of the academy's Commission on Resident and Student Issues, launched last year to address concerns of future family doctors.

The AAFP also has commissioned studies on the matter, including a University of Arizona study, which is due this summer, examining factors that influence how a student selects a specialty. [...]