4.6 Article

Gender disparities among medical students choosing to pursue careers in medical research: a secondary cross-sectional cohort analysis

期刊

BMC MEDICAL EDUCATION
卷 21, 期 1, 页码 -

出版社

BMC
DOI: 10.1186/s12909-021-03004-z

关键词

Gender disparities; Research; Academic medicine; Work-life balance

资金

  1. University of Illinois at Chicago Center for Clinical and Translational Science (National Center for Advancing Translational Sciences grant) [UL1TR002003]
  2. American Physician Scientists Association
  3. Trustees' Council of Penn Women at the University of Pennsylvania
  4. Burroughs Wellcome Fund
  5. National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute [5T32HL072742-10]

向作者/读者索取更多资源

This study aimed to investigate the gender disparities among medical students choosing to pursue careers in medical research, revealing significant differences in training stage, career sector choice, and career selection factors between male and female students. The main obstacles reported by both genders in pursuing a career in medical research were student loan burden, future compensation, and work/life balance, indicating a need for active efforts to bridge the gap between men and women in this field.
Background Though the proportion of women in medical schools has increased, gender disparities among those who pursue research careers still exists. In this study, we seek to better understand the main factors contributing to the existing gender disparities among medical students choosing to pursue careers in medical research. Methods A secondary cross-sectional cohort analysis of previously published data was conducted using a 70-item survey that was sent to 16,418 medical students at 32 academic medical centers, and was IRB exempt from the need for ethical approval at the University of Illinois at Chicago and the University of Pennsylvania. Data was collected from September 2012 to December 2014. Survey results were analyzed using chi-square tests and Cramer's V to determine gender differences in demographic characteristics (training stage, race/ethnicity, marital status, parental status, financial support, and parental career background), career sector choice, career content choice, specialty choice, foreseeable career obstacles, and perceptions about medical research careers. Results Female respondents were more likely to be enrolled in MD-only programs, while male respondents were more likely to be enrolled in MD/PhD programs. More male students selected academia as their first-choice career sector, while more female respondents selected hospitalist as their first-choice career sector. More female respondents identified patient care and opportunities for community service as their top career selection factors, while more male respondents identified research and teaching as their top career selection factors. Student loan burden, future compensation, and work/life balance were the most reported obstacles to pursuing a career in medical research. Conclusions There are many factors from a medical student's perspective that may contribute to the existing gender disparities in pursuing a career in medical research. While much progress has been made in attracting nearly equal numbers of men and women to the field of medicine, active efforts to bridge the gap between men and women in medical research careers are needed.

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