Motivations for a Career in Teaching: Medical Students’ Projections towards their Future Role

Background Medical educators play a crucial role in the perpetuation of the medical profession. Recent concerns have arisen regarding the quality and quantity of current teachers. To comprehend this shortage, it is key to understand future physicians’ attitudes towards venturing in education, their motivations and possible detracting factors. This study aims to explore graduating students' attitudes towards a future teaching role and identify motivating and hindering factors. Methods Sixty-eight students in their final year of medical training answered a digital questionnaire. Responses were processed using descriptive statistics and qualitative coding for the open-ended questions. Results Teaching was the second most prevalent aspiring role (59%) after the clinical one. Motivations included the following themes: Contribution to the Future of Medicine, Self-Centered Motivations, Non-Economical Advantages, Sense of Duty and Economical Advantages. Conversely, hindering factors revealed consistent themes: Non-Economical Disadvantages, Economical Disadvantages, Cost-Benefit Rationale, Disadvantages Related to Teaching, and Self-Centered Demotivation. Students’ recent experience across the undergraduate path provided insights about the influence of different agents, teachers’ exemplary attributes, and their own confidence and projection for their future role. Teaching is predominantly viewed as an honorable and aspirational role but constrained by inadequate economic compensation. Students feel confident on this path, with limited understanding of teacher professionalization. Conclusions Exploring the perspectives of graduating students, delving into their motivations and demotivations, holds the potential to tackle issues from a deeper perspective. This understanding can be instrumental in strategically prioritizing efforts to meet the increasing demand for both quantity and quality in educating future professionals.