摘要：Introduction The decision-making process for students as to which medical schools to apply to is open
to many factors and influences. Research has identified several factors which influence prospective students’ choice of medical school and career. There is
also evidence that websites and prospectuses may be
creating potential barriers to widening access.
Methods The websites and prospectuses of 33 medical
schools in the United Kingdom were searched for relevant images. These images and the people in them
were subjected to inclusion/exclusion criteria. Data
about the images and people were recorded so that
a content analysis could be performed. The relative
proportions were compared with pre-existing data relating to the medical profession and society.
Results From 33 medical schools, 650 images were included, with 1,817 people depicted. The largest group
for the assumed roles was ‘student’, as expected, with
1,423 people (78%). For the overall theme of the
image, community placement themed images made
up only 2% of images (14) and hospital placement
themed images made up 24% (154). Chi-squared
goodness of fit showed statistically significant results
for most groups of data when comparing ethnicity,
the overall theme of the image and assumed specialty
group, but not when comparing gender.
Discussion In conclusion, for gender, medical schools
are accurately reflecting national data. However, for
ethnicity medical schools fail to accurately represent national data, leading to incorrect signalling about the
ethnic makeup of their students. Additionally, medical
schools are signalling to students a strong preference
for hospital-based settings, despite a strong national
drive to recruit more general practitioners.
