Influence of student participation in academic leagues in the choice of specialty for the Bahia 2017 Medical Residency Program

Abstract

Introduction: Participating in Academic Leagues (LAs) nowadays is an important component of the medical student’s graduation process. However, this participation may be prematurely promoting specialty choice, limiting the performance and the search for ample and widespread knowledge. Objective: Evaluate the influence of participating in LAs with regards to the choice of specialty by new entrants in the Medical Residency Program of Bahia 2017 (PRM/BA/2017). Methodology: This is an observational cross-sectional epidemiological study in which residents from the PRM/BA/2017, during the enrollment, were invited to respond a questionnaire containing information about the participation in LAs and the choice of medical specialization. Results: 339 individuals were interviewed. 79.8% of interviewed participated in LAs. From those, 45.4% considered that participating in LAs influenced the choice of specialty. The general correlation between participation in LAs and the choice of a specialty at the same area (L-E correlation) reached 30.9%. A higher and significant L-E correlation was found in group that considered participation in LA as a influence in the decision making process, that participated in LA for more than 3 semesters, that occupied 3 or 4 positions at the same league, that participated on “Internship” and that claimed “Affinity/Curiosity” as the main reason for get into LA. Within all the medical specialties, the group that have chosen General Surgery had higher L-E correlation and the one that chose Pediatrics had lower. Conclusions: Despite being present in the training process of most students, participating in LAs did not seem to represent their premature specialization. The most associated factor with the L-E correlation was the perception that this participation influenced the choice of the specialization.