ArticleBMJ open2023
Career intentions of medical students in the UK: a national, cross-sectional study (AIMS study).
Article in BMJ open, 2023. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 26 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.
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Who cites it
26 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it.
- Transnational medical education programmes and preparation for different country medical practice: A systematic review.Medical education · 2025Pooled it
- Quality in postgraduate medical education: A contested idea.Clinical medicine (London, England) · 2026Review
- Locum doctor working: A qualitative exploration of the implications for learning and professional development.Medical education · 2026Article
- Medical Student Engagement and Intention to Practise Medicine Across Undergraduate Years: A Longitudinal Study.Perspectives on medical education · 2026Article
- The impact of mobile internet usage patterns on employment intentions of medical students: A cross-sectional study.PloS one · 2026Article
- Medical Students' Perspectives on Inclusivity Within Clinical Environments: A Pilot Study.Advances in medical education and practice · 2026Article
- Too many, too soon? Challenges in medical school expansion in the United Kingdom.Human resources for health · 2025Article
- A scoping review on medical students' international migration: trends, determinants, and implications for global health workforce planning.Human resources for health · 2025Article
- Evolution of professional expectations among medical students at a Peruvian university: A six-year longitudinal study.BMC medical education · 2025Article
- Training refugee and asylum-seeking doctors: a cohort study of the UK REACHE programme.BMJ open · 2025Article
- General practice specialty decision making: a system-level Australian qualitative study.BJGP open · 2025Article
- A laboratory-focussed desk review of health systems in Uganda, Kenya, and the UK to respond to current and future pandemics.Journal of global health · 2025Review
- Socioeconomic and demographic predictors of extracurricular achievements among UK medical students (FAST study).BMJ open · 2025Article
- Specialty choices among UK medical students: certainty, confidence and key influences-a national survey (FAST Study).BMJ open · 2025Article
- Examining the perception of residency training among Nigerian medical students: a nationwide pilot survey.BMC medical education · 2025Article
- Retaining doctors in organisations in socioeconomically deprived areas in England: a qualitative study.BMJ open · 2025Article
- Neuro-anaesthesia training in Pakistan: Evaluating the need for a dedicated fellowship program.Pakistan journal of medical sciences · 2025Article
- A thematic analysis of newly qualified doctors' experiences of burnout.BMC medical education · 2025Article
- "Frontiers in medicine · 2025Article
- Malaysian Medical Students' Career Intention (MMSCI): a cross-sectional study.Human resources for health · 2024Article
Corrections and comments
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Authors and funding
6 authors.
Funding
Abstract
objectiveTo determine current UK medical students' career intentions after graduation and on completing the Foundation Programme (FP), and to ascertain the motivations behind these intentions.
designCross-sectional, mixed-methods survey of UK medical students, using a non-random sampling method.
settingAll 44 UK medical schools recognised by the General Medical Council.
participantsAll UK medical students were eligible to participate. The study sample consisted of 10 486 participants, approximately 25.50% of the medical student population. OUTCOME MEASURES: Career intentions of medical students postgraduation and post-FP, motivations behind these career intentions, characterising the medical student population and correlating demographic factors and propensity to leave the National Health Service (NHS).
resultsThe majority of participating students (8806/10 486, 83.98%) planned to complete both years of the FP after graduation, with under half of these students (4294/8806, 48.76%) intending to pursue specialty training thereafter. A subanalysis of career intentions after the FP by year of study revealed a significant decrease in students' intentions to enter specialty training as they advanced through medical school. Approximately a third of surveyed students (3392/10 486, 32.35%) intended to emigrate to practise medicine, with 42.57% (n=1444) of those students not planning to return. In total, 2.89% of students intended to leave medicine altogether (n=303). Remuneration, work-life balance and working conditions were identified as important factors in decision-making regarding emigration and leaving the profession. Subgroup analyses based on gender, type of schooling, fee type and educational background were performed. Only 17.26% of surveyed students were satisfied or very satisfied with the overall prospect of working in the NHS.
conclusionsThe Ascertaining the career Intentions of UK Medical Students study highlights UK students' views and career intentions, revealing a concerning proportion of those surveyed considering alternative careers or emigration. Addressing factors such as remuneration, work-life balance and working conditions may increase retention of doctors and improve workforce planning efforts.
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