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Medical students’ motivation for internal medicine

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Abstract

Objective: To verify that motivational concepts tested in other educational settings are relevant to understanding medical students’ choice of a career in internal medicine. More specifically, to compare the effects of “facilitating students’ interest” versus “controlling students’ learning” as educational models during the internal medicine clerkship.

Design: An observational retrospective study of 89 fourth-year medical students. Structural equation modeling compared the two models statistically.

Main outcome measure: Student choice of internal medicine residency.

Results: Instructors who supported students’ autonomy engendered in students greater feelings of competence and interest in internal medicine than did controlling instructors. Perceived competence further enhanced students’ interest in internal medicine. In turn, interest predicted students’ choosing an internal medicine residency. Overall, the facilitating students’ interest model better explained students’ choice of internal medicine than did the controlling students’ learning model.Conclusions: The results verify that the nature of the learning climate during the internal medicine clerkship is an important predictor of students’ subsequent pursuit of internal medicine training. Instructors who teach in an autonomy-supportive manner enhance students’ perceived competence and interest in internal medicine, which increases the likelihood they will select an internal medicine residency.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Psychology, University of Rochester, 14627, Rochester, NY

    Geoffrey C. Williams MD. PhD

Authors
  1. Geoffrey C. Williams MD. PhD
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  2. Myra W. Wiener MD
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  3. Kathryn M. Markakis MD
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  4. Johnmarshall Reeve PhD
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  5. Edward L. Deci PhD
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Additional information

Received from the Program for Biopsychosocial Studies and the Human Motivation Research Program, University of Rochester, Rochester, New York. Drs. Williams and Wiener are currently at the Department of Internal Medicine, The Genesee Hospital, University of Rochester; Dr. Markakis is currently at the Department of Internal Medicine, Highland Hospital, Rochester; Drs. Williams and Deci are currently with the Human Motivation Program, Department of Psychology, University of Rochester; and Dr. Reeve is currently at the Department of Educational Psychology, University of Wisconsin, Milwaukee, Wisconsin.

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Williams, G.C., Wiener, M.W., Markakis, K.M. et al. Medical students’ motivation for internal medicine. J Gen Intern Med 9, 327–333 (1994). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02599180

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