RT Journal Article SR Electronic T1 Career intentions and perceptions of general practice on entry to medical school: baseline findings of a longitudinal survey at three UK universities JF BJGP Open JO BJGP Open FD Royal College of General Practitioners SP BJGPO.2021.0120 DO 10.3399/BJGPO.2021.0120 VO 5 IS 6 A1 Richard Darnton A1 Efthalia Massou A1 James Brimicombe A1 John Kinnear A1 Roger Tisi A1 Alys Burns A1 Diana F Wood A1 Paul O Wilkinson YR 2021 UL http://bjgpopen.org/content/5/6/BJGPO.2021.0120.abstract AB Background Medical graduates from the universities of Oxford and Cambridge have a lower intention to become GPs compared with other UK medical graduates. It is not clear to what extent this difference is present on admission to medical school.Aim To compare the career intention and influencing factors of students on admission to different UK medical schools.Design & setting First year of a 6-year prospective cohort study of medical students admitted in autumn 2020 to the three East of England medical schools: University of East Anglia (UEA), University of Cambridge (UOC), and Anglia Ruskin University (ARU).Method An online survey instrument was administered at the beginning of the first year. This measured self-reported career interests and various influencing factors, including perceptions of general practice.Results UOC students declared a lower intention to become a doctor, a higher likelihood of choosing careers in pathology and public health, and a much lower likelihood of becoming a GP than students of UEA or ARU (all at P<0.001). In all three schools, the phrases least associated with general practice were 'opportunities for creativity/innovation' and 'research/academic opportunities', whereas the phrases most associated with general practice were 'favourable working hours' and 'flexibility'. However, research/academic opportunities were far more important, and favourable working hours far less important, to UOC students (P<0.001 for both) than to students of UEA or ARU.Conclusion UOC students’ lower intention to become a GP appears to be present on entry to medical school. This may be explained in part by these students placing a higher importance on research/academic opportunities, combined with the widely held perception that GP careers lack these opportunities.