Table 1 Factor analysis of specialty preferences
From: Characteristic profiles among students and junior doctors with specific career preferences
Factors | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
I | II | III | IV | V | |
I. Fulfilling life with job security (α=.86) | |||||
27_Working hours | .92 | -.10 | -.09 | .05 | -.07 |
28_Attainable lifestyle | .83 | -.06 | -.14 | .10 | -.03 |
30_Risk of my malpractice law suits | .76 | -.02 | -.02 | .02 | .00 |
26_Expected income | .73 | .08 | .09 | -.10 | -.01 |
29_Influence of future health care reform | .63 | .07 | .04 | .03 | .07 |
23_Job availability | .57 | .09 | .16 | .00 | -.04 |
24_Ease of opening practice | .49 | .02 | .13 | -.16 | .08 |
II. Bioscientific orientation (α=.70) | |||||
6_Mastering the specialty | .00 | .78 | -.04 | -.05 | -.09 |
5_Interest in the surgical procedures or technologies | -.06 | .63 | .02 | -.04 | -.05 |
2_Interest in the organ specialty | -.04 | .55 | -.04 | .02 | .04 |
4_Interest in the research or scientific aspects | .00 | .54 | -.08 | .06 | .06 |
9_Prospect for further development of the field | .09 | .53 | -.01 | .05 | .01 |
10_Highly respected in society | .04 | .44 | .10 | .03 | .10 |
III. Advice from others (α=.82) | |||||
20_Advice from senior students/residents | -.04 | -.04 | .90 | .00 | -.07 |
21_Advice from teachers/consultants | -.06 | .03 | .75 | .13 | -.08 |
22_Influence of friends | .09 | -.04 | .61 | -.01 | .06 |
19_Advice/Expectation of parents | .14 | -.04 | .48 | -.08 | .16 |
IV. Educational experience (α=.79) | |||||
15_Received excellent teachings | .00 | -.04 | .01 | .93 | .00 |
14_Memorable experience at a class or clinical rotation | -.06 | .04 | .00 | .80 | .07 |
16_Comfortable atmosphere at the specialty department | .08 | .05 | .07 | .64 | -.04 |
V. Personal reasons (α=.71) | |||||
12_Friend/family suffer(ed) from the illness of the specialty | -.02 | .01 | -.02 | .03 | .77 |
11_I suffer(ed) from the illness of the specialty | .02 | -.04 | -.04 | -.01 | .74 |
13_Became interested in the specialty before medical school | -.02 | .04 | .03 | .03 | .56 |
Inter-factor Correlations | I | II | III | IV | V |
I | 1.00 | ||||
II | .20 | 1.00 | |||
III | .53 | .28 | 1.00 | ||
IV | .30 | .42 | .39 | 1.00 | |
V | .41 | .23 | .44 | .32 | 1.00 |
Excluded items from factor analysis because of; | |||||
Ceiling effect | |||||
1_Interest in the clinical work of the specialty; 8_I feel it rewarding to work in the specialty; | |||||
17_Encounter with role model teachers | |||||
Floor effect | |||||
25_Expectation to inherit practice of my parents/relatives | |||||
Low factor loading (<0.35) | |||||
3_Interest in the targeted populations such as children or the elderly; | |||||
7_I have an aptitude for the specialty | |||||
Correlation with 2 factors to the same extent | |||||
18_Encounter with role model junior doctors | |||||