MEDICAL-STUDENTS ATTITUDES TOWARD RADIOLOGY - COMPARISON OF MATRICULATING AND GRADUATING STUDENTS

Rationale and Objectives: To determine graduating medical students' pe rceptions of radiology and to document changes in their perceptions si nce they entered medical school. Materials and Methods: A survey quest ionnaire was distributed to 213 graduating students. Questions were si milar to those answered by the same group of students as they entered medical school nearly 4 years earlier. Results: The survey was anonymo usly completed by 140 students. Seventy percent of students changed th eir choice of medical specialty since entering medical school. Factors with a major or important influence on specialty choice included inte llectual excitement (96%), high patient contact (86%), opportunity for a good family life (72%), and regular hours (57%). Radiology was perc eived to be a well-paid (89%), ''high-tech'' (86%) specialty with a he althy lifestyle (82%), regular hours (99%), and good family life (92%) , but it was not perceived to offer high patient contact (1%) and was intellectually exciting to only 33% of students. This perception was u nchanged from freshman year. Conclusions: This 4-year longitudinal stu dy of a medical student class documents surprisingly little change in perception of radiology throughout medical school. High patient contac t and intellectual excitement, both factors of major or important infl uence on specialty choice, were thought to be lacking in radiology.