Emergency Department Culture May Deter Medical Students From Selecting Specialty

WEDNESDAY, March 27, 2024 (HealthDay News) — Emergency medicine (EM) culture may deter medical students from selecting the specialty, according to a study published online Feb. 9 in Academic Emergency Medicine Education and Training.

Rosemarie Diaz, M.D., from the University of California, Los Angeles, and colleagues examined how clinical experiences and perceptions of EM influence specialty selection by medical students, particularly women. Semistructured interviews were conducted with 25 senior medical students who considered EM as a specialty, from 11 geographically diverse schools.

The researchers identified four major themes. Students were negatively affected by distressing interpersonal interactions with patients and the emergency department care team. Behaviors that are perceived as exclusionary are part of EM culture. There was a gendered nature in the beliefs about the attributes of an ideal EM physician and the specialty itself. There was an increased interest based on ease of access to mentors, representation, and early exposure to EM.

“Our participants express that EM causes challenges for students to accept the norms of behavior in the field, which is an essential element in joining a group and professional identity formation,” the authors write. “In addition, we raise concern that gendered perceptions and language may send exclusionary environmental cues that may negatively impact recruitment of a diverse physician workforce.”

Abstract/Full Text