Reasons for choosing the profession and profle of newly qualifed physicians in Brazil

Abstract

Objective: To evaluate the socio-demographic profle, path to medical school admission and factors affecting the choice of becoming a physician in Brazil. Method: Application of a structured questionnaire to 4,601 participants among the 16,323 physicians who graduated between 2014 and 2015 that subsequently registered with one of the 27 Regional Boards of Medicine (CRMs). Results: The average age of participants is 27 years, 77.2% are white, 57% come from families with a monthly income greater than ten times the minimum wage, 65% have fathers who have completed higher education, 79.1% attended a private high school, and 63.5% selected the "will to make a difference in people's lives or do good" as their main reason for choosing medicine, with some differences between the sexes and matriculation at a public or private medical school. Conclusion: The recent politics for educational diversity and the opening of additional medical schools has not yet had an impact on the socio-demographic profle of graduates, who are mainly white, wealthy individuals.