'Ending up a GP': a qualitative study of junior doctors' perceptions of general practice as a career

OBJECTIVE: This study aimed to investigate junior doctors' perception ofgeneral practice as a career. METHOD: In-depth interviews with a purposivesample of 54 junior doctors were carried out. RESULTS: Three main criteriawere identified: clinical content of practice, lifestyle, andorganizational context of practice. Clinical content was most highlyvalued, but was recognized to conflict with lifestyle. Compared withhospital medicine, general practice was associated with inferior clinicalcontent but superior lifestyle. Views on organizational context were moreequivocal. Choice of general practice as a career was often based onnegative judgements. CONCLUSIONS: Junior doctors' perceptions of generalpractice are expressions of a hospital-centric culture. Criteria for careerchoice are diffuse and complex. There was no evidence that the 1990 GPContract deterred recruitment. The compromise between intrinsicsatisfaction and lifestyle may be significant for GP morale.