biostudies-literatureUnknown10(2)Yoon JD<h4>Background</h4>Role models in medical school may influence students' residency specialty choice.<h4>Objective</h4>We examined whether medical students who reported clinical exposure to a role model during medical school would have an increased likelihood of selecting the role model's specialty for their residencies.<h4>Methods</h4>We conducted a 5-year prospective, national longitudinal study (2011-2016) of medical students from 24 US allopathic medical schools, starting from the middle of their third year. The primary outcome measure was type of residency specialty choice 4 years after graduation. Main predictors were the clinical specialty of a student's most admired physician and the relative importance of 7 potentially influential factors for specialty choice in the fourth year of medical school.<h4>Results</h4>From 919 eligible participants, 564 (61%) responded to the first survey; 474 of the respondents (84%) completed the follow-up survey. We excluded 29 participants who were not in their fourth year by the time of the follow-up survey. Of the follow-up respondents, 427 (96%) had specialty data 4 years after graduation. In our multivariate models, exposure to an admired generalist physician prior to medical school (odds ratio [OR] = 2.21, 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.03-4.73) and during medical school (OR = 2.62, 95% CI 1.69-4.05) had the strongest odds with respect to training in a generalist residency 4 years after graduation. Role model exposure also predicted specialty choice among those training in surgical and radiology, ophthalmology, anesthesiology, and dermatology (ROAD) specialties.<h4>Conclusions</h4>Personal exposure to role models in medical school is an important predictor of residency training in that role model's specialty.Journal of graduate medical education149-154https://www.ebi.ac.uk/biostudies/studies/S-EPMC5901792biostudies-literatureRole Models' Influence on Specialty Choice for Residency Training: A National Longitudinal Study.PMC5901792Curlin FAYoon JDReddy STHam SAfalseRole Models' Influence on Specialty Choice for Residency Training: A National Longitudinal Study.<h4>Background</h4>Role models in medical school may influence students' residency specialty choice.<h4>Objective</h4>We examined whether medical students who reported clinical exposure to a role model during medical school would have an increased likelihood of selecting the role model's specialty for their residencies.<h4>Methods</h4>We conducted a 5-year prospective, national longitudinal study (2011-2016) of medical students from 24 US allopathic medical schools, starting from the middle of their third year. The primary outcome measure was type of residency specialty choice 4 years after graduation. Main predictors were the clinical specialty of a student's most admired physician and the relative importance of 7 potentially influential factors for specialty choice in the fourth year of medical school.<h4>Results</h4>From 919 eligible participants, 564 (61%) responded to the first survey; 474 of the respondents (84%) completed the follow-up survey. We excluded 29 participants who were not in their fourth year by the time of the follow-up survey. Of the follow-up respondents, 427 (96%) had specialty data 4 years after graduation. In our multivariate models, exposure to an admired generalist physician prior to medical school (odds ratio [OR] = 2.21, 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.03-4.73) and during medical school (OR = 2.62, 95% CI 1.69-4.05) had the strongest odds with respect to training in a generalist residency 4 years after graduation. Role model exposure also predicted specialty choice among those training in surgical and radiology, ophthalmology, anesthesiology, and dermatology (ROAD) specialties.<h4>Conclusions</h4>Personal exposure to role models in medical school is an important predictor of residency training in that role model's specialty.2018-01-01T00:00:00Z2018 Apr2025-04-25T20:40:03.423Z2019-08-04T07:30:36ZS-EPMC59017922968675210.4300/JGME-D-17-00063.110.4300/jgme-d-17-00063.1