Medical Students’ Specialty Preference Relative to Trait Emotional Intelligence and General Self-Efficacy

Abstract

<div>Medical students’ specialty preference (SP) for future areas of expertise in the context of their </div><div>profession has always been in focus of interest. The purpose of this study was fourfold: (i) To </div><div>disclose medical students’ SP; (ii) To reveal SP’s underlying extrinsic, intrinsic or dual motivations; </div><div>(iii) To assess medical students’ trait emotional intelligence (EI), and general sense of perceived self-</div><div>efcacy (GSE); (iv) To observe gender differences in SP choice. 93% out of 318 medical students </div><div>completed questionnaires comprising 13 SP hints and student’s underlying motivation for SP. </div><div>By Trait Emotional Intelligence Questionnaire–Short Form and General Self-Efcacy Scale, students’ </div><div>personality characteristics were self-rated. By principal component analysis, the components ‘working </div><div>situation’ (reecting extrinsic motivation), ‘specialty prospect’ (suggesting intrinsic motivation) and </div><div>‘Career Opportunity’ (indicating dual motivation) were scrutinised. Students scoring high on trait </div><div>EI and GSE were analysed separately. Male students prioritised surgical specialties (26%); female </div><div>students preferred general practice (13.7%). Female students exhibited intrinsic motivation in </div><div>Specialty Prospect; male students displayed extrinsic motivation in Career Opportunities. High trait </div><div>EI-scoring male students surpassed high-scoring female students; high GSE-scoring male students </div><div>exceeded high-scoring female students; also, in the total sum GSE as opposed to total sum of trait EI </div><div>scores, where no gender difference emerged. Components specialty prospect and career opportunity </div><div>related to students’ trait EI and GSE. Family characteristics linked to students’ trait EI and GSE along </div><div>with their SP choice. In conclusion, male students prioritised surgical specialties as opposed to female </div><div>students, who preferred general practice. The underlying motivation attracting a student to SP was </div><div>revealed. Female students were intrinsically motivated, more so than male students, who displayed </div><div>extrinsic ambition. High trait EI-scoring male students surpassed high-scoring female students, but <div>no gender difference was found in total EI sum. High GSE-scoring male students exceeded high-</div><div>scoring female students, also in total GSE sum. Trait EI and GSE were non-interchangeable but </div><div>complementary measures informative in medical education.<br /></div></div>