Background Career planning remains relatively unexplored as a domain of medical education. Our aim was to explore the career planning journey undertaken by medical students. Methods Mixed-methods data collection was employed. An online questionnaire was distributed to interns (Foundation Year 1 (FY1) equivalents) across Ireland. A focus group was held to further explore themes. Quantitative and qualitative data analysis was applied to findings. Results Approximately one third of participants had decided their future specialty. Important factors in career choice were ‘interest in specific [specialty] aspects,’ ‘work-life balance,’ ‘personality type’ of others in the specialty, an enjoyable experience on rotation and role models. Negative influential factors included poor conduct of doctors encountered and negative portrayals of specialities by practicing doctors. Conclusion The undergraduate and early postgraduate periods are formative times in career planning for junior doctors. Students and interns/FY1s are strongly influenced by doctors in the clinical setting, and clinicians should be aware of this power to exert both positive and negative influence.
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