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| LETTER TO THE EDITOR |
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| Year : 2013 | Volume
: 26
| Issue : 3 | Page : 199 |
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Postgraduate choices - Medical school-dependent?
Neel Sharma
Honorary Clinical Lecturer, Centre for Medical Education, Barts and the London School of Medicine and Dentistry, London, United Kingdom
| Date of Web Publication | 28-Jan-2014 |
Correspondence Address:
Neel Sharma
Honorary Clinical Lecturer, Centre for Medical Education, Barts and the London School of Medicine and Dentistry, Turner Street
United Kingdom
 Source of Support: None, Conflict of Interest: None  | Check |
DOI: 10.4103/1357-6283.126014
How to cite this article:
Sharma N. Postgraduate choices - Medical school-dependent?. Educ Health 2013;26:199 |
Dear Editor,
My current interest in gastroenterology may not be so hard to understand. For one, the digestive system and its associated pathology just seem to make sense. The field provides variety in case mix and procedural interventions which helps to maintain my interest and provide a challenge. But I wonder if something else could account for my interest in this field.
Work by Chambliss and Takacs noted that, "undergraduate faculty determine students' taste for academic fields by acting as gatekeepers, by welcoming them into an area of knowledge, encouraging and inspiring them to explore it…" They concluded that, "faculty can positively or negatively influence student taste for a field - some compelling teachers can get students engaged in fields that they previously disliked, while other, more uncharismatic faculty can alienate students from entire bodies of knowledge, sometimes permanently." [1]
Looking back at my days in medical school, maybe there is considerable truth in these statements. I recall, for example, that my instructors in gastroenterology were highly motivating and enthusiastic about the subject, encouraging many students to pursue this particular specialty. This encouragement continued into my early junior doctor years; hence my specialty choice. Clinicians in other medical fields and subspecialties seemed less willing to teach and captivate me.
When we look at areas of interest among trainees, there seems to be positive preferences for some and less preference for others. I believe it is important for clinicians to show students a keen interest in their specialties if there is to be any hope that they will take interest in these areas. This is particularly important for areas with workforce shortages which we hope to fill.
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