ArticleThe British journal of general practice : the journal of the Royal College of General Practitioners2016
Influences on students' career decisions concerning general practice: a focus group study.
Article in The British journal of general practice : the journal of the Royal College of General Practitioners, 2016. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 49 papers, 2 of them syntheses that pooled it.
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Who cites it
49 citing papers in PubMed, 2 syntheses or guidelines pooled it, 89 citations in OpenAlex.
- Factors influencing UK medical students' choice of general practice: a systematic review.The British journal of general practice : the journal of the Royal College of General Practitioners · 2026Pooled it
- The impact of role modelling on the future general practitioner workforce: a systematic review.Education for primary care : an official publication of the Association of Course Organisers, National Association of GP Tutors, World Organisation of Family Doctors · 2022Pooled it
- Theories and theoretical frameworks used in general practice career choice research: a scoping review.BMC primary care · 2026Article
- An international, cross-sectional comparative study of general practice curricula in medical school programmes.International journal of medical education · 2026Observational
- Article
- Impact of the new Japanese medical specialty system on residents' career choices in general medicine: a nationwide cross-sectional study.BMC medical education · 2025Observational
- Developing the intention to pursue a general practice career: a longitudinal survey study from medical school graduation into postgraduate medical training.BMC medical education · 2025Article
- Development and innovation in a new distributed medical programme: Scottish Graduate Entry Medicine (ScotGEM).Frontiers in medicine · 2025Review
- Factors influencing medical students career intentions in Flanders, Estonia, and Hungary: a multivariable analysis.BJGP open · 2025Article
- How do medical schools influence their students' career choices? A realist evaluation.Medical education online · 2024Article
- The impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on students' views of a career in general practice: a focus group study.BJGP open · 2024Article
- To be or not to be supervisors for medical students in general practice clinical placements: a questionnaire study from Norway.Scandinavian journal of primary health care · 2024Article
- Changes in the attractiveness of medical careers and career determinants during the bachelor's program at Zurich medical schools.BMC medical education · 2024Article
- The Impact of an Undergraduate Community-Based Medical Education Program in a Japanese Urban City.Cureus · 2024Article
- Family Medicine Practice as Learning Environment: A Medical Student Evaluation in Switzerland.Advances in medical education and practice · 2024Article
- Preparing future general practitioners: the effects of individual, familial, and institutional characteristics.BMC medical education · 2023Article
- Identifying key policy objectives for strong primary care: a cross-sectional study.Primary health care research & development · 2023Article
- Balint work and the flourishing practitioner.The British journal of general practice : the journal of the Royal College of General Practitioners · 2023Article
- Association between Undergraduate Education for Community-Based Medicine and General Practice Majors: A Longitudinal Study in Japan.Korean journal of family medicine · 2023Article
- Specialty preferences of studying-abroad medical students from low- and middle-income countries.BMC medical education · 2023Article
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Authors and funding
3 authors at 1 institution in 1 country.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
backgroundDespite concerns about recruitment to UK general practice, there has been no concerted educational intervention to address them.
aimTo better understand how medical students' perceptions of their experiences of their undergraduate curriculum may affect choosing general practice as a career. DESIGN AND
settingQualitative study comprising focus groups of a total of 58 students from a range of medical schools across the UK.
methodA range of UK medical schools students were invited by email to participate in focus groups and return a questionnaire detailing their current career choice to facilitate sampling students with varied career preferences. Students late in their studies were sampled as they were likely to be considering future careers. Focus group discussions were audiotaped, transcribed, and anonymised for both school and participant, then thematically analysed. Perceived differences in medical school culture, curriculum philosophy, design, and intent were explored.
resultsSix focus groups (58 students) were convened. Some student participants' career aspirations were strongly shaped by family and home, but clinical placements remained important in confirming or refuting these choices. High-quality general practice attachments are a powerful attractor to general practice and, when they reflect authentic clinical practice, promote general practice careers. GP tutors can be powerful, positive role models. Students' comments revealed conflicting understandings about general practice.
conclusionAttracting rather than coercing students to general practice is likely to be more effective at changing their career choices. Early, high-quality, ongoing and, authentic clinical exposure promotes general practice and combats negative stereotyping. It is recommended that increasing opportunities to help students understand what it means to be a 'good GP' and how this can be achieved are created.
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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.