Foundation doctors career choice and factors influencing career choice.

This study is seeking to establish the factors influencing foundation doctors' decision-making when applying for speciality training. A questionnaire was sent to all foundation doctors in Scotland (n = 1602, response rate 34%) asking them about their career intention in relation to General Practice, whether they received career advice and the extent to which certain factors influenced their career choice. For the majority of trainees, General Practice was not their first choice but just under half were considering it as a career. There were significant differences in career choices between the four Scottish regions and between the medical schools, with a greater proportion of those who studied in Aberdeen and Dundee Medical Schools opting for a career in General Practice. Undergraduate GP placement was reported as the strongest influence in favour of a career in General Practice followed by discussion with family and friends and discussion with speciality trainees. There were differences between medical schools in the way hospital placements, General Practice placements and role models influenced career choices. Career advice on General Practice was reported to be less available and more difficult to find.

Perceptions of self-efficacy and rehabilitation among neurologically disabled adults.

OBJECTIVE: To explore constructs relevant to self-efficacy in neurological rehabilitation. DESIGN: Qualitative methods using semi-structured interviews. SETTING: Specialist neurological rehabilitation unit, Liverpool, UK. SUBJECTS: Twenty-four patients (12 male) with experience of inpatient rehabilitation, aged 17-59 (mean 38.1) years at onset, with diagnoses of stroke (n = 8), traumatic brain injury (n = 6) or other monophasic neurological impairment (n = 10). RESULTS: Eleven themes emerged from the data that reflect self-efficacy beliefs: self-reliance and independence were deemed important and many patients recognized the importance of determination, making time to take an active role and working in partnership with the multidisciplinary team. Patients had complex information needs but were able to use goal setting and the vicarious experiences of other inpatients to map out the stages of their own recovery. It was important for patients to be able to recognize for themselves that they were making progress and they valued external reassurance on this from other patients, staff and visitors. A number of difficulties were identified that interfered with their developing self-efficacy in rehabilitation, such as structuring their time. Two different models for rehabilitation emerged from the data, 'recovery' and 'adaptation'. CONCLUSIONS: Patients consistently identified 11 factors falling in the supraordinate themes of self, others and process, and these influenced their self-efficacy to participate in neurological rehabilitation. Patients consider rehabilitation in terms of either an 'adaptation' or 'recovery' model.