Scott JR, Gunderson CA. A study of prospective ophthalmology
residents’ career perceptions.
The resident candidates anticipate that
interaction with other physicians will be a common
feature, once in medical practice. Perceptions for
higher status with other medical specialties were
overstated when compared to practicing
ophthalmologists. In contrast, it is interesting to
mention that they underestimated the amount of
career pressure when compared to practicing
ophthalmologists.
Residency candidates tend to hold a more
idealistic perception of their career expectations than
found among practicing physicians. Equally
important, they indicated that they will be able to
witness the end result of their work along with a
regularity of their work schedule. Residency
candidates anticipated greater utilization of manual
and mechanical devices as well as computer
technology in their eventual medical practice. This
latter point, although not surprising given the
expanded use of technologies in medical education
training, is of particular note because computer-based
diagnosis and treatment technologies will continue to
be standard practice, especially for the
ophthalmology profession. Furthermore, advances in
science and technology will continue to affect
surgical practices.5 Molecular biology,
nanotechnology for less invasive surgical procedures,
and advanced imaging methods will impact
subspecialty care. Telemedicine will likewise find
greater applications for diagnostic and referral
information. In addition, other smart technologies
such as medical training simulators will reinforce
procedure skills that allow for self-directed
performance in surgical applications.
As expected, residency candidates underestimate
the amount of pressure (e.g., administrative and
surgical demands for time) in the field of
ophthalmology given the limited professional
responsibilities of those in practice. Ophthalmologists
are faced with these patient care pressures on a
routine basis and we expect would be more likely to
rate pressure higher than would residency candidates.
Likewise, it is not surprising that candidates would
overestimate the status of their chosen specialty.
Therefore, one may assume that candidates bereft of
professional experiences lack a valid framework
upon which to determine many of the specific career
expectations.
Personal-Family Issues - Residency candidates
and practicing physicians share similar perceptions
regarding personal and family issues. This could be
because certain personality types align with certain
Med Educ Online [serial online] 2003;8:9. Available from
http://www.med-ed-online.org
occupational fields, including ophthalmology. Both
residency candidates and practicing physicians
indicated that their medical discipline offers
autonomy, opportunity for innovation, as well as time
for family and leisure activities. They prefer a
balance between theoretical and specific problem
solving approaches. Candidates anticipate that their
careers will afford more diversity than was reported
among practicing physicians. This may be
attributable to the fact that many residency training
facilities are within academic health centers and
tertiary healthcare institutions with large referral
bases along with greater numbers of unusual and
complicated patient cases. As discussed in the section
on career issues, these training centers often include
more sub-specialists that provide medical students a
broader clinical experience than in the typical private
practice setting. Therefore, as with career issues,
experiences could skew the candidates’ frame of
reference for the practice of ophthalmology.
Residency candidates differed from practicing
physicians by underestimating the amount of
responsibility expected in medical practice. This lack
of experience may shape their perception for the
extensive responsibility extant in medical practice.
Likewise, their perceptions of personal and family
values indicate a more dominant role in their career
decision-making. While practicing physicians have
already made important and enduring career decision,
most residency candidates have yet to initiate these
long-term career considerations (e.g., private practice
versus academic medicine; geographic
location/lifestyle; family/child-rearing; etc.).
Residency candidates further indicated a
significant degree of influence among personal and
family values on their career decisions. Here again,
lack of other life experiences (e.g., competitive
healthcare market forces; child-rearing
responsibilities; etc.) may contribute to this rather
idealistic viewpoint. Many are drawn to the field of
ophthalmology because of its perceived controllable
lifestyle for personal and family time.5 In fact,
surgical residents’ while in training shift their main
issues and concerns from those of a personal nature
to more financial perspectives.6 Furthermore, female
residents show greater concerns than men when
accommodating their work-life balance, especially
for child-rearing. Child-rearing during the residency
years can be demanding, both emotionally and
physically.7 On the whole, personal and family
influences play significant roles in forming important
career decisions.