African American female physicians in South Carolina: role models and career satisfaction.

Background: This study examined the factors that influenced African American women to select medicine as a career and their satisfaction with their career choice.

Methods: Of 132 African American female physicians in South Carolina, 62 responded to a survey of open-ended questions about why they chose medicine, what they liked and disliked about their career, and who influenced their decision to become a physician.

Results: The majority chose medicine for altruistic reasons and found that medicine provided challenge and the opportunity to make a positive difference. Family members, teachers, and physicians served as the common external influences in their decision to become a physician. Managed care, paper work, and time demands constituted the most disliked aspects of medicine.

Conclusions: Altruistic reasons and/or an interest in science motivated most of these African American female physicians to study medicine. Family members most often were their principal role models.