Occupational continuity and dynasties among medical students in Russia and China

Professional (occupational) dynasties are a stable social phenomenon that manifests itself in different types of activities and in countries with different social, economic and political organizations. The existing data show the existence of alternative possible mechanisms underlying the emergence of professional dynasties and the ambiguity of their effects on the individual and society. In the healthcare sector, professional dynasties are of particular importance, since they can lead to both negative (nepotism, monopolization of status positions) and positive (an increase in the quality of training and motivation, more successful professional adaptation) effects, and the magnitude of these effects may depend on sociocultural and institutional factors. The article describes the results of a study of the perception of professional dynasties by medical students from medical universities of the Russian Federation and the People's Republic of China. The study revealed that professional dynasties are frequent in both countries, but are more pronounced among Chinese medical students. In determining the choice of a medical career, it is not so much family traditions that matter, but the intra-family transfer of knowledge and human capital. The effect of continuity is higher among Chinese students, which also corresponds to the data on a higher level of collectivism and the role of the older generation characteristic of Confucian culture. Although students in both countries do not directly recognize the role of family traditions as the main motive for choice, among Russian students the share of those who make informed and rational career choices based on their own priorities is higher, and among Chinese students the share of those who rely on the older generation's opinion is higher in conditions of high uncertainty of their attitude to the career choice. The motivational role of family socialization plays a rather modest role in students' choice of their professional career. For most of them, the choice is rational and deliberate. It is also interesting that more than half of the respondents assess positively the institutional support of professional dynasties in ensuring the quality of medicine. Despite the fact that professional dynasties have both positive and negative effects for the individual and society, these effects, in the perception of students, do not make an accurate balance. This may be due to the fact that the positive effects of a successful transfer of human capital and accelerated professional adaptation are more obvious for them than the potential risks of favoritism and nepotism, which mainly affect students who do not have a “professional” family.

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