Can they blame it on the final? How does medical final exam and other factors shape specialty choice?
Abstract Background Medical education in Poland consists of a six-year course, a 13-month postgraduate internship, and a Final Medical Examination. The possible further career path is to specialise in a particular field of medicine, and the choice of speciality is one of the most important decisions...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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BMC
2025-02-01
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| Series: | BMC Medical Education |
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| Online Access: | https://doi.org/10.1186/s12909-025-06886-5 |
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| author | Kinga Filipek Agata Pisklak Natalia Winiarska Piotr Remiszewski Kamil Łuczkiewicz Piotr Wierzbiński Marcin Barylski Adam Rafał Poliwczak Daniel Śliż |
| author_facet | Kinga Filipek Agata Pisklak Natalia Winiarska Piotr Remiszewski Kamil Łuczkiewicz Piotr Wierzbiński Marcin Barylski Adam Rafał Poliwczak Daniel Śliż |
| author_sort | Kinga Filipek |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Abstract Background Medical education in Poland consists of a six-year course, a 13-month postgraduate internship, and a Final Medical Examination. The possible further career path is to specialise in a particular field of medicine, and the choice of speciality is one of the most important decisions made by young doctors. Therefore, the decision-making process creates challenges. We conducted this study to determine the factors considered during the process of choosing a medical speciality and to investigate the influence of student performance in the Final Medical Examination on this choice. Methods A descriptive cross-sectional survey was conducted between 4 January and 7 February 2024. The data were collected via an online survey in Polish. The survey was disseminated to doctors engaged in postgraduate internships via social networks. The Chi-square test (χ2) was used to analyse the significance of differences. Results The survey included 336 postgraduate trainees. Internal medicine subspecialties, surgical specialities, and paediatrics were of most interest to the respondents. The average age of respondents was 26 years. In the multiple-choice question, most people (86.6%) marked their individual interests as a key factor influencing their choice of specialisation, followed by earning opportunities in the private sector (58%) and work-life balance (54.2%). The Final Medical Examination score is a significant factor in the selection of a speciality, as indicated by 68% of respondents. Conclusions The process of selecting a medical speciality involves overcoming numerous limitations. The outcome of the Final Medical Examination is a significant factor influencing the choice of future specialisation. Furthermore, the decision-making process is affected by several different factors and the distinctive complexities of practising a specific speciality within the Polish healthcare system. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-8bc0cd1fd24e487690cd419c7c7e8e72 |
| institution | DOAJ |
| issn | 1472-6920 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-02-01 |
| publisher | BMC |
| record_format | Article |
| series | BMC Medical Education |
| spelling | doaj-art-8bc0cd1fd24e487690cd419c7c7e8e722025-08-20T03:04:24ZengBMCBMC Medical Education1472-69202025-02-0125111310.1186/s12909-025-06886-5Can they blame it on the final? How does medical final exam and other factors shape specialty choice?Kinga Filipek0Agata Pisklak1Natalia Winiarska2Piotr Remiszewski3Kamil Łuczkiewicz4Piotr Wierzbiński5Marcin Barylski6Adam Rafał Poliwczak7Daniel Śliż8Międzyleski Specialist Hospital in WarsawMiędzyleski Specialist Hospital in WarsawMiędzyleski Specialist Hospital in WarsawFaculty of Medicine, Medical University of WarsawFaculty of Physics, University of Warsaw3rd Department of Internal Medicine and Cardiology, Medical University of WarsawDepartment of Internal Medicine and Cardiac Rehabilitation, Medical University of LodzDepartment of Internal Medicine and Cardiac Rehabilitation, Medical University of Lodz3rd Department of Internal Medicine and Cardiology, Medical University of WarsawAbstract Background Medical education in Poland consists of a six-year course, a 13-month postgraduate internship, and a Final Medical Examination. The possible further career path is to specialise in a particular field of medicine, and the choice of speciality is one of the most important decisions made by young doctors. Therefore, the decision-making process creates challenges. We conducted this study to determine the factors considered during the process of choosing a medical speciality and to investigate the influence of student performance in the Final Medical Examination on this choice. Methods A descriptive cross-sectional survey was conducted between 4 January and 7 February 2024. The data were collected via an online survey in Polish. The survey was disseminated to doctors engaged in postgraduate internships via social networks. The Chi-square test (χ2) was used to analyse the significance of differences. Results The survey included 336 postgraduate trainees. Internal medicine subspecialties, surgical specialities, and paediatrics were of most interest to the respondents. The average age of respondents was 26 years. In the multiple-choice question, most people (86.6%) marked their individual interests as a key factor influencing their choice of specialisation, followed by earning opportunities in the private sector (58%) and work-life balance (54.2%). The Final Medical Examination score is a significant factor in the selection of a speciality, as indicated by 68% of respondents. Conclusions The process of selecting a medical speciality involves overcoming numerous limitations. The outcome of the Final Medical Examination is a significant factor influencing the choice of future specialisation. Furthermore, the decision-making process is affected by several different factors and the distinctive complexities of practising a specific speciality within the Polish healthcare system.https://doi.org/10.1186/s12909-025-06886-5Medical educationMedical specialty choiceMedical traineesFinal medical exam |
| spellingShingle | Kinga Filipek Agata Pisklak Natalia Winiarska Piotr Remiszewski Kamil Łuczkiewicz Piotr Wierzbiński Marcin Barylski Adam Rafał Poliwczak Daniel Śliż Can they blame it on the final? How does medical final exam and other factors shape specialty choice? BMC Medical Education Medical education Medical specialty choice Medical trainees Final medical exam |
| title | Can they blame it on the final? How does medical final exam and other factors shape specialty choice? |
| title_full | Can they blame it on the final? How does medical final exam and other factors shape specialty choice? |
| title_fullStr | Can they blame it on the final? How does medical final exam and other factors shape specialty choice? |
| title_full_unstemmed | Can they blame it on the final? How does medical final exam and other factors shape specialty choice? |
| title_short | Can they blame it on the final? How does medical final exam and other factors shape specialty choice? |
| title_sort | can they blame it on the final how does medical final exam and other factors shape specialty choice |
| topic | Medical education Medical specialty choice Medical trainees Final medical exam |
| url | https://doi.org/10.1186/s12909-025-06886-5 |
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