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3. Career Preferences of Final Year Medical Students: A Multi-Institutional Study
Amna Ahmed Noor1, Asad Muhammad Karim Ali4, Gul Shaikh5, Saman Omar6, Saeed Ahmed2 and Rana Tauqir Ullah Khan3
ABSTRACT
Objective: To investigate the various factors influencing the preference of the career in the medical students.
Study Design: Quantitative Cross Sectional Study
Place and Duration of Study: This study was conducted at the AJK Medical College (AJKMC) Muzaffarabad, Mohtarma Benazir Bhutto Shaheed Medical College (MBBSMC) Mirpur AJK, Federal Medical and Dental College (FMDC) Islamabad and Islamic International Medical College (IIMCT) Rawalpindi from October 2018 to
July 2019.
Materials and Methods: Quantitative cross-sectional study was conducted by survey method to collect information by using a questionnaire developed after thorough literature search and expert validation. The reliability of the research items was tested using Cronbach’s Alpha statistic. The normality of the dataset was analyzed using histograms, measures of skewness and measures of kurtosis.
Results: The results showed that 45.5% of the students preferred medicine and 16.3% of the students preferred surgery as their post-MBBS career. The preferences for other careers decreased in the following descending order: ENT, Pediatrics, Obstetrics and gynecology, Orthopedics, Anesthesia, Radiology, Eye, Pathology, Community Medicine, General Practice/Family medicine and Medical Education.
Conclusion: The findings of the study reveal that the preference of post-graduate specialization is highly skewed in favor of a few areas substantiated by the fact that 80 percent of students tend to prefer Medicine, Surgery, ENT, Pediatrics, Obstetrics and Gynecology. The study delved into the factors contributing to the preferences and choices. The identification of these factors will be helpful for the universities in formulating strategies to motivate the students to choose the ignored fields.
Key Words: Career choices, medical students, factors influencing career choices
Citation of article: Noor AA, Ali AMK, Shaikh G, Omar S, Ahmed S, Khan RT. Career Preferences of Final Year Medical Students: A Multi-Institutional Study. Med Forum 2022;33(8):11-15.