COMSEP Virtual Grand Round: Specialty Disrespect and Medical Student Specialty Choice

Jeff Weinfeld, MD

Why do primary care specialties increasingly struggle to recruit enough medical students? Differences in pay and prestige explain part of this trend, but another contributor often goes unrecognized – specialty disrespect. Dismissive comments about primary care fields are a powerful part of the hidden curriculum, shaping learner perceptions and career decisions. In this webinar, we unpack how specialty disrespect operates, its consequences for learners and the profession, and practical steps to address it.

By the end of the talk the learner will be able to:

• Define hidden curriculum, specialty disrespect and describe their characteristics
• Explain potential impacts of specialty disrespect on students, residents, and faculty
• Discuss potential responses at the person, department, organization, and policy
• Describe a strategy for respectfully discussing specialty choice with medical students