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. 2025 May 20;26(1):176.
doi: 10.1186/s12875-025-02883-1.

What motivates general practitioners of the future: qualitative study of Irish trainees

Aisling Egan  1 , Peter Hayes  2   3 , Andrew O'Regan  2   3
Affiliations

What motivates general practitioners of the future: qualitative study of Irish trainees

Aisling Egan et al. BMC Prim Care. .

Abstract

Background: There is a worldwide shortage of general practitioners (GPs). The aim of this study is to explore the perspectives of GP trainees and to understand their motivators and career priorities to inform future GP workforce planning.

Methods: A qualitative study, consisting of one-to-one, semi-structured interviews was conducted with GP trainee participants and data were analysed thematically. Every GP trainee currently enrolled in vocational training nationally was invited to participate. 'Social Cognitive Career Theory' and 'Sociocultural Theory' were used as theoretical frameworks to inform the interview guide and its analysis.

Results: Seventeen GP trainees were interviewed. One meta-theme was identified from interviews: 'Sustainable work as part of a fulfilling life'. This meta-theme of sustainability threads through each of the five related subthemes: Family, stability and support, burnout aversion, role-modelling, and well supported portfolio careers in practice.

Conclusion: Understanding priorities and motivators of GP trainees will inform future healthcare planning, in particular, the type of role to which trainees aspire and the type of health service they in which they will work.

Keywords: Career choice; General practice trainees; Health professions education; Primary care workforce; Primary health care.; Recruitment and retention.

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Conflict of interest statement

Declarations. Ethics approval and consent to participate: Ethical approval was granted by the University of Limerick Health Sciences Research Ethics Committee (Approval reference:2023_12_31_EHS). Appendix 1 and 2 highlight participant information leaflet, consent form and ethical approval. Every participant provided their written (and verbal) informed consent before partaking in the study (Appendix 4). Consent for publication: Not applicable. Competing interests: The authors declare no competing interests.

Figures

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Outline of Themes
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