Table 2 Bivariate relationships between background characteristics, attitudes towards future work and general practice (mean score) and gender of medical students of the Maastricht University in 2002/03.
| Â | Before the clerkship | Â | After the clerkship | Â | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Â | Mean (SD) | Â | Mean (SD) | Â | ||
| Â | Male | Female | P value | Male | Female | P value |
Likelihood to become a GP (1 = not likely, 5 = highly likely) | 2.4(.7) | 2.9(.9) | .00 | 2.7 (.9) | 3.1 (1.1) | .003 |
Background characteristics (0 = no,1 = yes) | ||||||
Work experience in patient care | .3 (.4) | .6 (.4) | .00 | Â | Â | Â |
Other health care education | .3 (.4) | .4 (.4) | .084 | Â | Â | Â |
Having considered allied profession | .1 (.3) | .3 (.4) | .001 | Â | Â | Â |
Preferred patients category and type of work (1 = not interested, 5 = interested) | ||||||
Chronic patients and palliative care | 3 (.7) | 3.5 (.6) | .003 | 3(.7) | 3.5(.6) | .00 |
Acute patient care and technology-orie oriented work | 4 (.6) | 3.6 (.6) | .001 | 4.2(.6) | 3.8(.6) | .002 |
Preferred work conditions (1 = not important, 5 = important) | ||||||
Prestige orientation | 2.65(.8) | 2.15(.8) | .00 | 2.9(.7) | 2.45(.8) | .00 |
Controllable lifestyle orientation | 2.95(.9) | 3.4(.8) | .001 | 2.85(.9) | 3.5(.8) | .00 |
Assessment of becoming a general practitioner (1 = not attractive, 5 = attractive) | ||||||
   Work intrinsic | 3.8(.6) | 4(.5) | .00 | 3.8(.6) | 3.8(.6) | .125 |
   Work extrinsic | 2.6(.6) | 2.6 (.5) | .399 | 3(.6) | 3(.6) | .453 |
   Work conditions | 3.2(.8) | 3.3(.8) | .618 | 3.5(.9) | 3.5(.8) | .586 |