Firefighter Next to Police Man Next to Doctor Value Art
BMC Psychol. 2015; 3: 38.
Medico, builder, soldier, lawyer, teacher, dancer, shopkeeper, vet: exploratory study of which eleven-year olds would like to become a doctor
I. C. McManus
Inquiry Department of Clinical, Educational and Wellness Psychology, University College London, Gower Street, London, WC1E 6BT U.k.
UCL Medical School, Academy College London, Gower Street, London, WC1E 6BT UK
Terry Ng-Knight
Research Department of Clinical, Educational and Health Psychology, University College London, Gower Street, London, WC1E 6BT United kingdom of great britain and northern ireland
Lucy Riglin
Research Section of Clinical, Educational and Health Psychology, Academy Higher London, Gower Street, London, WC1E 6BT Uk
Norah Frederickson
Inquiry Department of Clinical, Educational and Health Psychology, Academy College London, Gower Street, London, WC1E 6BT U.k.
Katherine Shelton
School of Psychology, Cardiff University, Tower Building, 70 Park Place, Cardiff, CF10 3AT UK
Frances Rice
Research Department of Clinical, Educational and Health Psychology, University College London, Gower Street, London, WC1E 6BT United kingdom of great britain and northern ireland
Received 2014 Oct 5; Accepted 2015 October 16.
Abstract
Background
Very little is known about the extent to which eleven-year olds might consider a career in medicine. This exploratory written report therefore asked children and their parents nigh medicine equally a possible career, looking also at the relationship to a range of background measures.
Methods
A longitudinal, 3-wave, questionnaire study of students transferring from primary to secondary school (STARS), with information collection at main schoolhouse (moving ridge 1; mean historic period 11.3 yrs), in the commencement months of secondary school (wave 2; hateful historic period eleven.vii yrs) and at the cease of the first year of secondary school (wave 3; mean age 12.iii yrs). Parents/carers besides completed questionnaires. Children were inbound 10 large comprehensive secondary schools in the south-eastward of England; 46.3 % were female, xv.6 % receiving free-school meals, 39.8 % were Black or Minority Ethnic and 28.8 % had a outset language which was not English. Of 2287 children in the study, 1936 children (84.v %) completed at least one questionnaire of the 3 waves (waves ane, 2 and 3). The main outcome measures were an open-ended question in each moving ridge, "What job would y'all like to do when you grow upwardly?", and a more detailed questionnaire in moving ridge three asking nearly 33 different jobs.
Results
9.9 % of children spontaneously mentioned medicine as a career on at least one occasion. For the specific jobs, would-be doctors peculiarly preferred Hospital Medicine, followed past Surgery, Full general Practice and so Psychiatry. Would-be doctors were also more interested in careers such as Nurse, Archaeologist, Lawyer and Teacher, and less interested in careers such as Shopkeeper, Sportsperson, or Player/dancer/vocalist/musician. Would-exist doctors were less Neurotic, more than Open to Experience, more Conscientious, and preferred higher prestige occupations. Those interested in medicine did not score more than highly on Primal Stage 2 attainment tests or Cognitive Abilities Test, did not have a higher family income or greater parental/carer education, and did not have more feel of illness or deaths amongst family and friends.
Conclusions
An interest in a medical career, unlike high prestige jobs in full general, is non associated with higher educational attainment or cerebral ability, and it is likely that only one in ten of the children interested in medical careers will take sufficient educational attainment at GCSE or A-level to be able to enter medical school.
Keywords: Medicine as a career, Children, Parents, 11-year olds, RIASEC, Occupational status
Background
The study of medical pupil selection usually begins when candidates submit their applications to a medical school, which in the UK is via the Universities and Colleges Admissions Service (UCAS), when most applicants are virtually 17 years old. Occasional studies accept involved students at the age of 16 who are considering applying to medical school [i]. Prior to that historic period, though, all seems to be silence. The impetus for the present study was the outset wave of a longitudinal survey of UK x-year olds who were asked the simple open-concluded question, "What job would y'all like to do when y'all grow up?". Somewhat to our surprise, the answer 'doctor', or a related term such as 'surgeon' or 'GP', was given by nearly one in ten children (68/749; 9.1 %). Since such a loftier proportion implies potential for widening participation, nosotros took the opportunity in two later waves to ask more than detailed questions.
This written report asks how many eleven year-olds consider medicine equally a possible career, and asks how that interest relates to other career interests, and to demographic, life outcome, educational and personality measures. The study was in large part exploratory, but the questions we asked are informed by studies of career choice in adolescents and adults. Careers were described in terms of the organisation of vocational preferences developed by Kingdom of the netherlands [two] who showed that career choices tin be mapped into six types (RIASEC: Realistic, Investigative, Artistic, Social, Enterprising and Conventional) [3]. Gottfredson has suggested that children's career orientations change during evolution, younger children being primarily concerned with gender roles, while prestige becomes of import during the ages 9 to 13, and specific fields of work, as characterised past RIASEC, become important from fourteen onwards [4]. Whether the full RIASEC structure is present in children's career choices is still unclear [v–7], although there is a suggestion that xi-year olds have a similar Social, Investigative and Realistic centrality as adults (which Prediger called People vs Things [8]), but that Enterprising, Conventional and Creative interests differ from those of adults [nine]. We therefore classified jobs using both RIASEC construction and prestige levels. RIASEC types are as well associated with personality dimensions [10], and adult occupations also chronicle to childhood personality measures [xi], and and so personality was also investigated.
The pick of medical students in the UK has been of increasing interest in contempo years [12, 13], especially given interests in widening access, both in full general and particularly in medicine. A business concern, inevitably, is that some children, despite an interest in careers such equally medicine, later on lose that involvement or exercise not accept that involvement encouraged and nurtured. It therefore makes sense to try and look at interests in medical careers at a much before stage, and the transition to secondary education makes a good baseline for that assessment. The Medical Schools Council written report, in particular, discusses widening participation by outreach piece of work within secondary and primary schools [xiii]. The GMC sponsored research [12] too comments that, "most [widening access] activities target secondary school pupils, most often those aged 14–16 years. This is also late." (p.63, our emphasis). However neither written report publishes any information on attitudes to medical careers in pupils below the age of about 14.
A annotation on educational activity in England
Compulsory education for children in the UK begins at age 5 (twelvemonth 1), and at that place are differences between England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland. The bookish year runs from 1st September to 31st Baronial. The present study took place in England, where principal education typically continues until year 6 (age eleven). Children then move to secondary education in year vii, taking GCSE (General Certificate of Secondary Education) exams in year 11 (age 15) and for more than bookish students, As-level and A-level examinations are taken in years 12 (age 16) and 13 (historic period 17). Students typically enter university at age 18. Schoolhouse progress is assessed at various 'key stages' (KS), KS1 for years i–2, KS2 for years 3–six, KS3 for years vii–9, KS4 for years 10–11 and KS5 for years 12–13. Assessments vary in type, sometimes existence teacher assessments, sometimes beingness formal assessments, and sometimes being based on GCSE, Every bit and A-level examinations. In improver many schools and local authorities use tests such as the Cognitive Abilities Tests both to stream pupils, and also to allocate students to schools (where they are used to ensure multifariousness of power ranges). Most state schools in England are comprehensive (and all of the schools in the present study are comprehensive), just at that place are also selective schools, both in the land and the private sector. For further information meet https://www.gov.uk/authorities/collections/national-curriculum-assessments-test-frameworks.
Methods
The School Transition and Adjustment Research Study (STARS) (http://www.ucl.air conditioning.u.k./stars) is a longitudinal study of a large group of 11-year olds in their terminal year at primary schools (Twelvemonth 6) in the due south-e of England. The primary interest of STARS is in transitions, and how children respond to them, just the nature of the written report means that there is potential for studying many other questions as well. The children were followed during the transition to secondary education, until the end of the first year at secondary school (Year vii) [fourteen, 15]. The children entered x large comprehensive (non-selective) schools in south-east England, an average of 205 children entering each schoolhouse (range 120 to 290; SD 67).
Questionnaires were given to Children (C), Parents/Carers (P) and Teachers (T), C1, P1 and T1 existence completed at the stop of the final term of primary school, C2, P2 and T2 in the first term at secondary school, and C3, P3 and T3 at the cease of Year 7 (May 2013) (see Table1). Questionnaires were extensive, and but some items are described here. In particular there were measures of the Big Five personality scales [16], 21 items from the BFI (http://www.ocf.berkeley.edu/~johnlab/bfi.php) being completed by the parent/carer in P1. Schools provided background demographic measures, as well as measures of attainment at Central Stage 2 (KS2) and, where known, scores on the Cognitive Abilities Test (CAT) which is widely used in UK schools for selection, banding or prediction of likely attainment [17, 18]. 7 of the ten schools also provided instructor assessments of Fundamental Phase 3 (KS3) attainment for National Curriculum levels at the end of year 7, in English, Maths and Scientific discipline. Scores vary from 2c, through 2b, 2a, 3c, 3b, 3a, etc., to 7c and 7b, and are scored from 1 to 17, with an overall score calculated every bit an boilerplate (run into https://www.gov.great britain/authorities/collections/national-curriculum-assessments-test-frameworks).
Tabular array i
"What job would you like to practice when you grow up?" (child) or "what job would you lot similar your kid to practise when they abound up?" (parent/carer)
| Mean date of completion [hateful age in years of child; SD] | "Medicine" mentioned past: | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Child | Parent/Carer | Child | Parent/Carer | |
| Wave 1 | 28th May 2012 [11.25;.293) | 26th May 2012 | 9.8 % (68/695) | 7.5 % (56/745) |
| Wave two | 17th Nov 2012 (11.72;.292) | 28th Oct 2012 | 12.8 % (66/515) | 7.4 % (forty/544) |
| Wave three | 15th Jun 2013 (12.29; .295) | n/a | 8.vii % (111/1272) | n/a |
| Mentioned at any wave | 9.eight % (154/1564) | nine.7 % (86/887) | ||
Children were built-in betwixt 1st September 2000 and 31st August 2001, and hateful ages are given for children at various stages of the report. For parents the median date of completion of the questionnaire is given
Career measures
In C1, C2 and C3 children were asked, "What chore would you like to practice when you grow up?", and in P1 and P2, parents/carers were asked, "What job would you like your kid to do when they grow up?". Responses were free text, were transcribed into the computer, and later on coded by ICM into various categories (see below). In C3, children were also asked a more detailed question, "Hither is a list of different jobs that people practise. Say how much you lot might like to do each one by ticking one of the smiley faces next to it", with answers on a iii-point scale ("☺: Would like it a lot" / "
: Non sure" / "☹: Wouldn't like it at all"). Thirty-three unlike jobs were presented, in alphabetical order. Iv jobs were for different aspects of medicine (Surgeon, Infirmary Md, GP and Psychiatrist). The remaining 29 jobs (come across Table2) broadly sampled the half-dozen RIASEC categories. Jobs were also sampled from high and low status occupations.
Table two
Liking for dissimilar jobs for those who spontaneously mentioned (Due north = 129) or did not mention (N = 1170) medicine on any of the open-ended questionsa
| RIASEC | SOC 2000 | ☺ Would like this job | ☹ Wouldn't like this chore | Kendall's Ï„c , P | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Medicine mentioned | Medicine non mentioned | Medicine mentioned | Medicine not mentioned | ||||
| Medical specialties | |||||||
| ISr | 2 | Hospital doc | 84.5 % (109) | 20.four % (239) | 3.9 % (5) | 54.4 % (636) | .248, p < .001 |
| RIS | 2 | Surgeon | 46.five % (sixty) | 11.8 % (138) | 32.half dozen % (42) | 67.9 % (795) | .151, p < .001 |
| ISr | 2 | GP (General practitioner) | 36.4 % (47) | 6.eight % (fourscore) | 37.2 % (48) | 61.4 % (718) | .121, p < .001 |
| ISa | 2 | Psychiatrist | 21.seven % (28) | vii.9 % (93) | 46.v % (sixty) | 64.4 % (753) | .076, p < .001 |
| Other jobs | |||||||
| SIr | 3 | Nurse | 41.1 % (53) | 12.ix % (151) | 33.iii % (43) | 65.4 % (765) | .135, p < .001 |
| Ir | 2 | Scientist | 52.7 % (68) | 23.i % (270) | 24.0 % (31) | 49.half dozen % (580) | .124, p < .001 |
| Eia | two | Lawyer | 48.i % (62) | 26.0 % (304) | 22.five % (29) | 47.nine % (560) | .108, p < .001 |
| East | two | Businessperson | 50.4 % (65) | 30.1 % (352) | 20.ix % (27) | 37.0 % (433) | .086, p < .001 |
| CE | 2 | Accountant | 23.three % (30) | 11.3 % (132) | 31.eight % (41) | 45.6 % (534) | .067, p < .001 |
| IRa | ii | Archaeologist | 24.8 % (32) | 14.7 % (172) | 41.1 % (53) | 55.6 % (651) | .060, p = .001 |
| Aei | 3 | Journalist | 19.4 % (25) | 17.nine % (209) | 35.7 % (46) | 54.two % (634) | .057, p = .001 |
| IRc | 2 | Engineer | 36.4 % (47) | 21.vii % (254) | 42.6 % (55) | 52.9 % (619) | .054, p = .004 |
| Sa | two | Teacher | 22.5 % (29) | 21.5 % (251) | 32.6 % (42) | 47.2 % (552) | .043, p = .011 |
| Rci | five | Mechanic | 19.4 % (25) | 13.4 % (157) | 55.eight % (72) | 63.7 % (745) | .032, p = .065 |
| IC | 2 | Reckoner programmer | 31.viii % (41) | 25.8 % (302) | 43.iv % (56) | 49.0 % (573) | .026, p = .156 |
| ESc | half dozen | Air steward/Flight bellboy | x.nine % (fourteen) | x.2 % (119) | 53.5 % (69) | 59.7 % (698) | .021, p = .220 |
| RCi | 3 | Airline pilot | 19.four % (25) | 17.4 % (204) | 54.3 % (seventy) | 59.4 % (695) | .018, p = .294 |
| RE | iii | Law officer | 31.0 % (40) | 24.seven % (289) | 45.0 % (58) | 45.5 % (532) | .014, p = .462 |
| IR | 2 | Vet | eighteen.vi % (24) | 17.8 % (208) | 52.seven % (68) | 56.8 % (665) | .013, p = .435 |
| Si | 2 | Social worker | 14.0 % (eighteen) | 10.6 % (124) | 62.eight % (81) | 63.6 % (744) | .007, p = .680 |
| EC | 7 | Telephone salesperson | two.3 % (iii) | 1.8 % (21) | 85.3 % (110) | 86.half-dozen % (1016) | .006, p = .625 |
| AR | 3 | Creative person | 27.1 % (35) | 29.2 % (342) | 39.5 % (51) | 41.3 % (483) | .000, p = .999 |
| Ce | 4 | Secretary | nine.3 % (12) | 8.five % (99) | 62.viii % (81) | 62.1 % (727) | -.001, p = .952 |
| Rc | 5 | Gardener | 3.ane % (4) | 3.8 % (45) | 79.8 % (103) | 77.7 % (909) | -.008, p = .550 |
| Ae | 2 | Videogame designer | 34.9 % (45) | 36.1 % (422) | 48.8 % (63) | 42.5 % (497) | -.017, p = .351 |
| (RE) | (three) | Soldier/Sailor/RAF | 17.i % (22) | 18.four % (215) | 65.one % (84) | 58.vii % (687) | -.021, p = .216 |
| ECs | 2 | Shopkeeper | seven.0 % (ix) | 8.4 % (98) | 76.7 % (99) | 68.v % (801) | -.029, p = .050 |
| AE | 3 | Designer | 39.v % (51) | 45.2 % (529) | thirty.two % (39) | 23.one % (270) | -.030, p = .107 |
| Reis | six | Hairdresser/barber | 10.9 % (14) | fourteen.5 % (170) | 71.3 % (92) | 60.1 % (703) | -.040, p = .013 |
| Re | 3 | Sportsperson | 34.1 % (44) | 43.9 % (514) | 42.half dozen % (55) | 34.4 % (402) | -.040, p = .026 |
| EA | three | Film producer/director | 34.i % (44) | 42.ane % (492) | 34.1 % (44) | 24.5 % (287) | -.041, p = .026 |
| R | 5 | Builder/decorator | 15.5 % (20) | 18.3 % (214) | 62.viii % (81) | 49.7 % (582) | -.043, p = .014 |
| Ae | two | Actor/dancer/singer/musician | 33.3 % (43) | 46.3 % (542) | 35.7 % (46) | 26.v % (310) | -.052, p = .004 |
aJobs were rated on a 3-point calibration ("☺: Would like information technology a lot" / 
: Not sure" / "☹: Wouldn't similar information technology at all"), but only percentages of the first and terminal are presented. Kendall'south tau (Ï„c) is calculated using all three groups, and significant associations with p < .05 are shown in bold. Jobs were presented in alphabetical order in the questionnaire, simply here are sorted by Kendall's tau. RIASEC codes are shown in size gild, those greater than v in upper case and those between 4 and 5 in lower case. SOC2000 codes for occupational prestige are from one to 7 (but no 1 s were included). Note that Ns are slightly lower than in Table1 due to not all children who had mentioned medicine answering the C3 questionnaire
Scores on the six RIASEC scales for each job were obtained from the Occupation_Data and Interests files of O*NET xviii.0 (http://www.onetcenter.org/db_releases.html), and are in the range 7 (high) to 1 (low). Prestige for each job was based on the Standard Occupational Classification 2000 (SOC2000) of the UK Office for National Statistics which varies from level ii (Professional person Occupations; n = sixteen), 3 (n = 10), 4 (northward = 1), 5 (n = three), vi (n = 2) and 7 (Sales and Customer Service Occupations; due north = 1). Scores for RIASEC and prestige for each job are indicated in Table2. For each kid an average score on the six RIASEC scales and the prestige scale was calculated equally the mean weighted preferences for the 29 non-medical jobs. For ease of interpretation, SOC2000 scores were reversed and so that high scores indicate high prestige. From the RIASEC scores we also calculated Prediger'southward [eight] scales of People vs Things (2S + E-C-2R-I + A) and Data vs Ideas (1.7E + 1.7C −1.7I – 1.7A).
A checklist of 34 positive and negative life events in the previous twelvemonth was provided in waves i and iii for children and wave 1 for parents/carers, and nosotros calculated composite scores for any report of decease of family and friends, or of serious illness or injury among family, friends or the child themself.
Ethical approval for the report was obtained from the University College London Enquiry Ethics Committee (ID number = 1522/01). Informed consent (parents/carers) and assent (children) was obtained from all participants.
Statistical analysis used SPSS 22.0. Differences between groups were compared using chi-square, Kendall's tau and t-tests as appropriate. Multivariate analysis used logistic regression with missing values substituted using the EM (expectation-maximisation) algorithm in SPSS.
Results
Of the children in the study, 46.three % (1058/2287) were female, xv.6 % (274/1762) received free schoolhouse meals, 39.eight % (685/1723) were Black or Minority Ethnic (BME: Asian 389, Blackness 124, Mixed ethnicity 128, Other 44), and 28.eight % (507/1763) had a commencement linguistic communication which was not English (with differing denominators reflecting different response rates on the various questionnaires). Mean gross family unit income was almost £37 K per annum, and 29 % of children had at least one parent/carer with a caste. The percentage of non-white students at each school varied from 9.9 % to 92.one % (mean = 64.7 %; median = 82.7 %; SD = 32.0 %). For state-maintained secondary schools in England in 2001, the average percentage of non-white students was thirteen %, but there was a broad variation with many more than non-white pupils in the Due south East of England [nineteen].
In all 3 waves, children were asked the open-ended question, "What job would you like to do when you abound upward?". Of 749 children in moving ridge ane, 695 (92.8 %) named a chore, the residuum leaving the answer blank or saying "Don't Know". The total range was broad, including, for case, "comic book artist", "barber or something to with animals", "Lego designer", "mathematiciam and Part-time sorcerer", "run my ain Catery", "childminder like my mum" and "bounty hunter" (all spelling equally in original). A number of mutual themes emerged however, and for wave 1 thirteen categories emerged which accounted for over half of the jobs named; medicine was at the acme (9.8 %, 68/695). , followed by Actor/Dancer/Singer (59), Sportsperson (57), Teacher (51), Law Officeholder (31), Lawyer (26), Vet (24), Scientist (19), Engineer (17), Pilot (xv), Computers/Videogames (6), Nurse (v) and Childcare/Nursery (four), together accounting for 382 (55.0 %) of named jobs. Medicine was coded broadly, and responses varied from single, focussed responses, both generic ('A doc'; 'Docter'), and specific ('Physician GP'; 'Brain/Center Surgeon"; 'Brian surgeon'; 'Pathologist'), to other cases where medicine was listed with other possible careers ('Physician, singer'; 'I would similar to be a pedetriton, a normal doctor or even a teacher who works in school'; 'Actor/singer/doctor/soldier/spy/footballer'); all were coded as indicating some involvement in medicine. Open-ended responses in waves 2 and three showed the same pattern equally in wave 1.
About 10 % of children (and also parents/carers) spontaneously mentioned medicine or a related term every bit a task they would similar to do (or similar their child to do), in at least one of the waves (see Table1). For children, mentioning medicine showed consistency beyond waves 1 and 2 (phi = .517, p < .001), i and 3 (phi = .511, p < .001), and waves 2 and 3 (phi = .432, p < .001), every bit also did parents mentioning medicine in waves 1 and ii (phi = .342, p < .001). There was also a correlation between the kid and the parent/carer mentioning medicine (phi = .554, p < .001). Further analyses consider those ix.eight % of children or those 9.vii % of parents/carers who mentioned medicine on at least one wave.
In moving ridge 3, also equally being asked the open up-ended question nigh jobs, children as well rated their interest in 33 different jobs using a three-point scale (see Tabletwo). Career preferences are often negative [twenty], people being more than certain what they don't want to do than what they practise want to practice, and in these data children fabricated a mean of half-dozen.seven positive choices (SD four.ix) just 17.4 (SD 7.iv) negative choices (t = 35.v, 1437 df, p < .001).
Of the four medical categories the highest popularity was for Hospital Doctor with 24.three % (350/1438) maxim they would like to practice it, compared with 14.3 % (206/1438) for Surgeon, 9.2 % for GP (132/1438) and eight.9 % (128/1438) for Psychiatrist. Table2 shows how preferences for each specific career related to a child spontaneously mentioning medicine in the open-ended questions. 'Medicine' was mostly strongly related to 'Hospital doctor', then to 'Surgeon', 'GP' and finally 'Psychiatrist', suggesting that the archetypical perception of medicine is as a infirmary medico. Those spontaneously choosing medicine besides tended to cull Nurse, Scientist and other realist-investigative careers such as Engineer and Archaeologist, but also Instructor, Journalist, Lawyer, Businessperson and Accountant. Those choosing medicine did non desire to be a Shopkeeper, Barber/Barber, Sportsperson, Film Producer/Director, Builder/Decorator or Actor/dancer/vocalist/musician. At that place was no association of medicine with jobs such as Vet or Social Worker.
Tableiii shows the association of spontaneously mentioning medicine with a range of background measures. Amongst the demographic variables there are strong associations with being Black or Minority Indigenous, with not having English as a first language, and beingness female, but not with gratis school meals, family income or parental/carer education level. Forrad-entry logistic regression found that both BME and not having English as a starting time language were both independent predictors of wanting to study medicine. Schoolhouse attainment measures showed no differences either at KS2, in the cerebral ability measures, or in the measures at KS3, between those who did and did not want to become doctors. There were however differences in personality, those wanting to exist doctors being more conscientious, more open up to experience and less neurotic. Those wanting to be doctors also showed differences in the other (non-medical) job types that they preferred, beingness more interested in Investigative, Social, and Enterprising jobs, and less interested in Artistic or Conventional jobs. In addition, they were more likely to choose college prestige jobs over lower prestige jobs.
Tabular array 3
Clan of spontaneously mentioning medicine with demographic, educational, personality and job type measures
| Mentioned medicine | Did not mention medicine | Significance | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hateful (SD;N) or % (North) | Mean (SD;North) or % (Due north) | ||
| Demographic measures | |||
| Sex (% Female person) | 60.iv % (154) | 47.2 % (1410) | Phi = .079, X ii = 9.72, 1df, p = .002 |
| Ethnicity (% BME) | 74.8 % (107) | 35.ix % (1213) | Phi = .244; X 2 = lxxx.5, 1df, p < .001 |
| English not first language | 60.7 % (145) | 26.ii % (325) | Phi = .231 , Ten 2 = 73.vii, 1df, p < .001 |
| Free schoolhouse meals | fourteen.v % (145) | 14.six % (1239) | Phi = −.001; X2 = .002, 1df, p = .968 |
| Family income (£000) | 33.1 (22.6; 59) | 37.ix (19.8; 510) | t = −i.70, 567 df, p = .091 |
| Parental educational activity level | 2.43 (i.09; 63) | 2.20 (i.17; 570) | t = ane.47, 631 df, p = .142 |
| Life events | |||
| Decease of parent, blood brother, sister, grandparent or shut friend | 20.8 % (154) | 25.5 % (1410) | Phi = −.032, X2 = 1.62, 1df, p = .203 |
| Serious affliction or injury in cocky, family or shut friend | 24.vii % (154) | 28.9 % (1410) | Phi = −.028, Xii = 1.24, 1df, p = .266 |
| School attainment | |||
| KS2 English | 4.35 (.68; 139) | 4.26 (.69; 1197) | t = 1.36, 1334 df, p = .175 |
| KS2 maths | 4.41 (.76; 139) | 4.thirty (.76; 1203) | t = i.72, 1340 df, p = .273 |
| Cerebral ability exam; exact | 101.7 (thirteen.0; 96) | 103.two (12.1; 869) | t = −1.17, 963 df, p = .244 |
| Cognitive ability test; non-exact | 104.vi (14.seven; 96) | 102.3 (xiii.8; 869) | t = 1.53, 963 df, p = .127 |
| Cerebral ability examination; quantitative | 103.9 (14.iv; 96) | 102.ii (xiii.5; 869) | t = one.20, 963 df, p = .231 |
| KS3 (year 7) English | 10.lxx (2.36; 128) | 10.86 (2.53; 1132) | t = −.675 , 1258 df, p = .500. |
| KS3 (year 7) Maths | 11.94 (2.75; 128) | 11.42 (3.01; 1134) | t = 1.89 , 1260 df, p = ..060 |
| KS3 (twelvemonth 7) Science | eleven.43 (2.13; 128) | 11.07 (ii.15; 1135) | t = ane.84 , 1261 df, p = 067. |
| KS3 (yr 7) average | 11.36 (2.05; 128) | 11.11 (two.28;1135 ) | t = 1.17, 1261 df, p = .241 |
| Personality | |||
| Neuroticism | 2.63 (i.13; 76) | three.02 (i.07; 613) | t = −three.04, 687 df, p = .002 |
| Extraversion | 3.74 (.77; 74) | 3.70 (.85; 613) | t = .448, 687 df, p = .654 |
| Openness to experience | four.37 (.64; 76) | 4.14 (.73; 614) | t = .two.68, 688 df, p = .007 |
| Agreeableness | 4.45 (.68; 76) | iv.30 (.76; 615) | t = 1.62, 689 df, p = .106 |
| Conscientiousness | iii.91 (.75; 76) | 3.91 (.75; 613) | t = 2.81, 687 df, p = .005 |
| Job preferences | |||
| Preference for Realistic jobs (R) | three.85 (.17; 129) | iii.91 (.20; 1170) | t = −three.00, 1297 df, p = .003 |
| Preference for Investigative jobs (I) | three.43 (.xix; 129) | 3.28 (.20; 1170) | t = 8.52, 1297 df, p < .001 |
| Preference for Artistic jobs (A) | 3.32 (.21; 129) | three.38 (.24; 1170) | t = −2.73, 1297 df, p = .006 |
| Preference for Social jobs (S) | 3.07 (.17; 129) | 3.03 (.17; 1170) | t = 1.93, 1297 df, p = .053 |
| Preference for Enterprising jobs (East) | four.17 (.13; 129) | 4.21 (.14; 1170) | t = −2.73, 1297 df, p = .006 |
| Preference for Conventional jobs (C) | iii.71 (.14; 129) | 3.67 (.15; 1170) | t = 2.53, 1297 df, p = .011 |
| People (SAE) rather than Things (RIC) | −1.22 (.81; 129) | −i.ten (1.02; 1170) | t = −1.24, 1297 df, p = .216 |
| Data (CE) rather than Ideas (IA) | 1.92 (.68; 129) | 2.08 (.73; 1170) | t = two.44, 1297 df, p = .015 |
| Preference for high prestige jobs | 1.xxx (.721; 121) | .249 (.856; 1124) | t = thirteen.02, 1243 df, p < .001 |
The 25 variables in Tablethree were explored further using logistic regression, with missing values handled using the EM algorithm, and an alpha level of .001 to control for multiple testing. Five variables were statistically significant, an involvement in medicine existence predicted, in order of significance, by being more than interested in high prestige jobs other than medicine, existence non-white, being more open to experience, non being interested in Artistic careers, and beingness female person, all with p < .001. Since the effects of ethnicity and sex were of item interest, the 7 interactions of sex and ethnicity with the other variables were tested but none reached a Bonferroni corrected significance level of 0.05/7.
Discussion
Nigh one in 10 xi-twelvemonth old children, when asked what job they would like to do when they abound upwardly, spontaneously answer 'doctor', and they practise then reliably across iii separate occasions over a year. About one in ten of the children's parents/carers also spontaneously say that they would like their child to be a dr., and that does non correlate with parental/carer levels of education. Although we know of no previous studies request eleven-year erstwhile children whether they would similar to get a medico, the BMJ in 1946 did describe the results of an stance poll which asked adults, "If you had a son [sic] starting out in life, what kind of piece of work would you like him to take upwards?", to which 7.5 % of respondents said medicine, a figure similar to the 9.7 % found hither [21].
Children wanting to exist a doctor are more probable to exist female and to come up from ethnic minorities (and besides not to have English every bit a first language), and in that sense they resemble medical students themselves, who are also more likely than the population to be female or from ethnic minorities. Compared with other schoolchildren, would-exist doctors show different patterns of task interests, and are less interested in Kingdom of the netherlands's Creative and Conventional groups of jobs and more than interested in high prestige jobs (which more often are Investigative or Social). Those thinking of studying medicine are more open up to feel, more conscientious and less neurotic than other children, the latter two characteristics, along with school attainment, beingness associated with an interest in higher prestige jobs in general, rather than medicine as such. Although there is some evidence that medical pupil specialty preferences are related to personal experience of illness [22, 23], at that place was no evidence that those wanting to be a doctor had more experience of illness or death.
Surprisingly, peradventure, given that medical students take some of the highest A-level class attainments of any university applicants, there was no significant correlation of a preference for medicine as a career with school attainment, either with Key Stage ii testing in year six, or with the Cognitive Abilities Test (Cat) [17, eighteen]. CAT scores correlate very highly with GCSE attainment [24], and GCSEs in turn correlate highly with A-level grades [25]. A minimum attainment at GCSE and A-levels for having a chance of entering medical school is 8 A grades in the best viii GCSEs, and three A grades at A-level, including an A in Chemistry. To achieve those GCSE grades (416 points, or an A at A-level Chemistry, would crave about 121 or 117 points at CATone. Cat scores of 117 and 131 would requite 25 and 50 % chances of an A grade in A-level Chemical science. Considering just the mid-bespeak of those latter estimates (124), but nine.6 % (9/96) of those wanting to study medicine had a CAT score on the quantitative scale of at least 124, and therefore had whatever reasonable chance of actually doing so given medical schoolhouse entry criteria. The remaining 90 % volition probably therefore be disappointed in their aspirations. Amidst those not mentioning medicine at age 11, 5.0 % (43/869) had quantitative CAT scores of 124 or more, and might of course at a later appointment choose to study medicine.
An interesting question is therefore why and so many children (and their parents/carers) have what, information technology is sad to say, are probably unrealistic expectations. Although wanting to be a doctor does not correlate with academic attainment, children in the sample who wished to have higher prestige jobs in general have significantly higher KS2 and Cat scores, and their parents/carers have college levels of education, suggesting that children mostly do realise that some jobs require higher attainment levels. Medicine though does not show that pattern, despite medical schools asking for attainment in the summit ane or 2 % of the population, and academic attainment correlating with achievement at medical schoolhouse [26]. One explanation may be that many people have experience of visiting doctors and hospitals (unlikely visiting lawyers or engineers), simply few realise the technical and scientific underpinnings of the job, perhaps instead seeing what seems mainly to be a caring, intuitive task which could be carried out past many people.
An interesting question concerns the type of medicine in which children are interested. The detailed questions in C3, shown in Table2, evidence clearly that it is hospital medicine and and so surgery which are of the greatest interest, with a much lower proportion having an interest in General Do. At a time when at that place is a national shortage of doctors interested in becoming GPs, that suggests that the lack of involvement may take deeper origins.
Finally, is it reasonable to have made a conclusion to written report medicine at the age of 11? In the 1991 Cohort Written report [27], i of united states of america [ICM] asked entrants to medical school at what age they had first decided to study medicine and at what age they had definitely decided to study medicine. 44.7 % (1323/2959) had commencement considered studying medicine by the age of eleven, but simply 5.5 % (164/2980) said they had definitely decided by that age. Of interest is that the gender and ethnic balance of those interested in medicine in our sample closely reverberate the electric current medical student profile, suggesting that the puddle from which medical students are drawn may exist largely defined by 11 years? We will therefore be post-obit the STARS accomplice with great interest to find who actually does proceed to report medicine.
Report limitations
This is a single study, although it is longitudinal and of a reasonable sample size, looking at entire populations within a number of schools. Intendance should therefore be taken in generalizing from its results.
Conclusions
About 1 in ten eleven-yr olds spontaneously mentions medicine every bit a possible career, which has implications for widening diversity in medicine. Female students and minority ethnic students were more than likely to mention medicine, and would-be doctors differed in personality and other careers which would exist considered. There was no relationship between because medicine equally a career and performance on cognitive ability tests or school attainment measures.
Acknowledgements
Nosotros are grateful to the children, the parents and carers, and the teachers who helped with this study, to the Nuffield Foundation for financial support, and to Lucy Brooks for administrative support on the projection.
Funding
The STARS project has been funded by the Nuffield Foundation (world wide web.nuffieldfoundation.org), simply the views expressed are those of the authors and not necessarily those of the Foundation. The Foundation was not directly involved in report design, data collection or information analysis. The authors are independent of the funders.
Footnotes
oneFor general information on the Cognitive Abilities Examination encounter http://world wide web.gl-assessment.co.uk/products/true cat-cognitive-abilities-test/performance-indicators. Detailed information on CAT and GCSEs is available at http://www.gl-assessment.co.uk/sites/gl/files/images/Files/GCSE_Technical_Information.pdf and a spreadsheet is besides available at http://www.docstoc.com/docs/163828315/GCSE-Results-2012. A detailed Excel spreadsheet on the prediction of A-levels can be found at http://www.gl-cess.co.uk/sites/gl/files/images/Files/For%20Website%20A%20level%20indicators%20published%20V2.xlsx.
Competing interests
The authors declare that they have no competing interests.
Authors' contributions
The STARS project was ready by FR, and she has overseen the project from its initiation, in particular steering questionnaire development, liaison with schools, and data collection. Information collection, data entry, data cleaning, and the training of derived and other variables was carried out by LR and TNK. FR, NF, KS and ICM take all contributed to aspects of the design and assay of the STARS data. The idea of looking in detail at career interests in medicine was ICM's, but all authors contributed to the development of the more than detailed questions for the C3 questionnaire. Statistical analysis was primarily by ICM. All authors accept contributed to the final manuscript, and have canonical it.
Contributor Information
I. C. McManus, E-mail: ku.ca.lcu@sunamcm.i.
Terry Ng-Knight, E-mail: ku.ca.lcu@xi.thgink-gn.yrret.
Lucy Riglin, Electronic mail: ku.ca.lcu.inmula@nilgir.l.
Norah Frederickson, Email: ku.ca.lcu@noskcirederf.n.
Katherine Shelton, Email: ku.ca.ffidrac@1hknotlehs.
Frances Rice, Email: ku.ca.ffidrac@2FeciR.
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Source: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4632406/