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The impact of badmouthing of medical specialities to medical students

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  14 February 2024

Dylan Viani Walsh ,
Niamh Murphy ,
Shane Evans ,
Kieran C. Murphy ,
Allys Guerandel Open the ORCID record for Allys Guerandel [Opens in a new window] ,
Anne M. Doherty Open the ORCID record for Anne M. Doherty [Opens in a new window] ,
Brian Hallahan  and
John Lally Open the ORCID record for John Lally [Opens in a new window]
Dylan Viani Walsh*
Affiliation:
Department of Surgery, Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland, Dublin, Ireland
Niamh Murphy
Affiliation:
Dublin North City & County Child and Adolescent Mental Health Service (Ballymun Civic Centre), Dublin, Ireland
Shane Evans
Affiliation:
Department of Psychiatry, School of Medicine and Medical Science, University College Dublin, Dublin, Ireland
Kieran C. Murphy
Affiliation:
Department of Psychiatry, Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland, Dublin, Ireland Department of Psychiatry, Beaumont Hospital, Dublin, Ireland
Allys Guerandel
Affiliation:
Department of Psychiatry, School of Medicine and Medical Science, University College Dublin, Dublin, Ireland
Anne M. Doherty
Affiliation:
Department of Psychiatry, School of Medicine and Medical Science, University College Dublin, Dublin, Ireland Department of Psychiatry, Mater Misericordiae University Hospital, Dublin, Ireland
Brian Hallahan
Affiliation:
Department of Psychiatry, University of Galway, Galway, Ireland
John Lally
Affiliation:
Department of Psychiatry, School of Medicine and Medical Science, University College Dublin, Dublin, Ireland Department of Psychiatry, Mater Misericordiae University Hospital, Dublin, Ireland Department of Psychiatry, University of Galway, Galway, Ireland Department of Psychosis Studies, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology & Neuroscience King’s College London, London, UK
*
Correspondence author: Dylan Viani Walsh; Email: DYLANVIANIWALSH@rcsi.ie
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Abstract

Objectives:

This study aimed to evaluate the proportion of Irish medical students exposed to ‘badmouthing’ of different specialities and to ascertain: the degree of criticism of specialities based on the seniority of clinical or academic members of staff; if ‘badmouthing’ influenced student career choice in psychiatry; and attitudes of medical students towards psychiatry as a speciality and career choice.

Methods:

Medical students in three Irish universities were invited to complete an online survey to determine the frequency and effect of non-constructive criticism on choice of medical specialty. The online questionnaire was distributed to Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland (RCSI), University of Galway (UoG) and University College Dublin (UCD) in the academic year 2020–2021.

Results:

General practice (69%), surgery (65%) and psychiatry (50%) were the most criticised specialties. Criticism was most likely to be heard from medical students. 46% of students reported reconsidering a career in psychiatry due to criticism from junior doctors. There was a positive perception of psychiatry with 27% of respondents considering psychiatry as a first-choice specialty.

Conclusions:

Criticism of psychiatry by doctors, academics and student peers negatively influences students’ career choice, which could be contributing to recruitment difficulties in psychiatry.

Keywords

Education and trainingMedical schoolStigmaTeaching

Information

Type
Original Research
Information
Irish Journal of Psychological Medicine , Volume 41 , Issue 3 , September 2024 , pp. 354 - 361
Copyright
© The Author(s), 2024. Published by Cambridge University Press on behalf of College of Psychiatrists of Ireland

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Footnotes

Dylan Viani Walsh are Niamh Murphy are joint first authors and should be acknowledged as such.

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