Objective: The discipline of psychiatry, and psychiatry as a career option, have been negatively regarded by medical students for decades. There is a large amount of literature on attitudes of students and the factors that attract them to and detract from psychiatry. The aim of this article is to systematically review this literature from 1990 to the present time.
Method: The author undertook a systematic review searching a number of electronic databases using the following key words: medical students, attitudes, psychiatry, career. Studies were included in the review if they had been published in an English-language, peer-reviewed journal. Data extracted included year of publication, country where the study was conducted, study design and aim, sample size and response rate, year of study that students were in when they participated in the research, and main results.
Results: A total of 32 papers from 22 different countries were selected for inclusion; 12,144 students from 74 medical schools were surveyed. A mix of positive and negative attitudes toward psychiatry were identified, and, overall, attitudes were found to be positive. However, psychiatry as a career choice was rated poorly and found to be unpopular for many students.
Conclusion: The studies undertaken to-date have identified and raised awareness of a wide range of negative and positive factors toward psychiatry. In order to encourage more students to consider psychiatry as a career, attention needs to focus more closely on the psychiatry curriculum and the development of innovative teaching strategies. This may overcome the negativity that students express toward psychiatry, improve recruitment rates to training programs, and put psychiatry on a more positive foundation for the future.