World Journal of
Pharmaceutical and Life Sciences

EXPLORING THE CAREER GOALS OF TRADITIONAL AND NONTRADITIONAL MEDICAL STUDENTS

*Monjur Ahmed, Jacky Reny, Anna Chen, Jade Azari and John Bruckbauer

ABSTRACT

Purpose: To determine whether nontraditional medical students share the same career goals as their traditional
counterparts. Methods: Medical students at a large academic medical center in the United States were offered a
Questionnaire. Students self-identified whether they were traditional or nontraditional. Data collection and analysis
were completed using Qualtrics. Results: The survey had 123 responses: 59% from traditional medical students
and 41% from nontraditional. The most common previous careers for nontraditional medical students were
research (31.25%), healthcare worker (16.67%), engineering (12.5%), and teaching (12.5%). Traditional students
were more interested in Internal Medicine, Pediatrics, and Family Medicine, while nontraditional students
preferred Emergency Medicine, Obstetrics and Gynecology (OB/GYN), Psychiatry, and Urology. 80.0% of
traditional and 70.2% of nontraditional students expressed interest in fellowship or advanced training. Traditional
(56.9%) and nontraditional (63.8%) students aspired to careers in academic medicine instead of private practice.
Overall, the Bachelor's degrees for traditional students were 26.2% for Bachelor of Arts and 70.8% for Bachelor of
Science, compared to 46.8% for Bachelor of Arts and 40.4% for Bachelor of Science in nontraditional students.
Traditional students reported lower stress levels than nontraditional students. Conclusion: This study delved into
the career preferences and characteristics of traditional and nontraditional medical students. Both groups shared a
strong inclination toward academic medicine. Traditional students favored Bachelor of Science degrees, while
nontraditional students often held Bachelor of Arts degrees. However, it's important to note that nontraditional
students reported higher stress levels, highlighting the unique challenges in their medical education journey.

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