Carlos Gutiérrez-Cirlos, Facultad de Medicina, SECISS, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Ciudad de México, México; Departamento de Medicina Interna, Dirección de Medicina, Instituto Nacional de Ciencias Médicas y Nutrición Salvador Zubirán, Ciudad de México, México
Tania Vives-Varela, Facultad de Medicina, SECISS, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Ciudad de México, México
José J. Naveja, Departamento de Hematología y Oncología, y Centro Universitario del Cáncer (UCT), Hospital Universitario de Mainz, Universidad Johannes Gutenberg, Mainz, Alemania
Melchor Sánchez-Mendiola, Facultad de Medicina, SECISS, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Ciudad de México, México
Background: The choice of a medical specialty is a personal decision with an impact on individuals and health systems. Objective: To explore the experiences, expectations and doubts of final-year medical students when choosing a specialty. Material and methods: Qualitative study with focus groups. Purposive and convenience sampling was conducted in three cohorts (2020, 2021 and 2022) of students from the UNAM School of Medicine, in the last year of the medical career. The testimonies were coded and categorized with axial coding and constant comparison. The analysis was based on Bourdieu’s concepts of habitus and social capital. Results: Six focus groups were held, two per year, with sixty-three participants. Pediatrics, Internal Medicine, and Surgery were the most chosen specialties. The 2020 focus groups were face-to-face; the following ones were online due to the pandemic. Five key dimensions were identified: lifestyle, prestige of the specialty, characteristics of the hospital, and social interactions. The COVID-19 pandemic also influenced decisions. Conclusions: Understanding the habitus and the struggles for sociocultural capital in the choice of specialty can help transform educational and healthcare structures, better meeting the needs of residents.
Keywords: Medical specialty choice. Qualitative study. Focus groups. Habitus. COVID-19.