INFLUENCE OF GENDER ON SPECIALTY CHOICES IN A BRAZILIAN MEDICAL-SCHOOL

Purpose. To examine the influence of gender on the specialty choices o f graduates from a Brazilian medical school. Method. Data for graduate s of the Faculty of Medicine of Ribeirao Preto, University of Sao Paul o (FMRP-USP) who enrolled in the FMRP-USP's residency program were poo led for surgery, internal medicine, pediatrics, obstetrics-gynecology, anesthesiology ophthalmology, radiology, and orthopedics and were ana lyzed by gender in two periods, 1979-1984 (n = 414) and 1989-1994 (n = 407). The data were analyzed statistically by the chi-square test and Fisher's exact probability test. Results. Women predominated in pedia trics and men in surgery and orthopedics in both periods, with no pred ominance of either gender in the other specialties. Between the two st udy periods, there were decreases in the choices of both genders for i nternal medicine and increases in the choices of the men for anesthesi ology and of the women for radiology. Conclusion. Significant changes occurred in the pattern of specialty choices between the men and the w omen and the two study periods. Considering the needs of the Brazilian health care system, the trends in career choices and the influence of gender should be continuously scrutinized.