FACTORS AFFECTING MEDICAL-STUDENTS SELECTION OF CANADIAN PSYCHIATRIC RESIDENCY PROGRAMS .1. A COMPARISON WITH AMERICAN PEERS

Objective: The introduction of a national process to match Canadian me dical students to postgraduate year-one (PGY-1)positions in psychiatry created for the first time a cohort of subjects whose choices of a pa rticular training program could be evaluated and compared with America n peers. The primary goal of this study was to determine the factors a ffecting the students' selection of the specific postgraduate programs in which they would train and to compare the findings with those in t he American literature. Method: A self-administered questionnaire was sent to 110 trainees who began training in July 1994 identified in the 16 Canadian university departments of psychiatry. Results: Canadian t rainees, like their American counterparts, relied heavily on nonprogra mmatic factors in program choice, but differed in emphasizing vocation al prospects after residency. Conclusion: When competing for enrolment within a reduced pool of applicants, program directors need to recogn ize how programs are evaluated, what factors are controllable, and how best to market the individual assets of their programs.