Factors Influencing the Career Choices of Medical Graduates
61-64
Correspondence
Smitha Bhat
Dept. of Medicine, Father Muller Medical College
Kankanady, Mangalore – 575002, Karnataka, India.
Phone: +919845162167
E-mail: doctorsmitha@yahoo.co.in
Objectives: To find subjects preferred by medical graduates for post-graduate specialization; And to find what factors determine these preferences.
Methods: The study was a cross sectional observational analytic study of 250 interns from 5 medical colleges in Mangalore, Karnataka. Participants were chosen randomly from the intern’s registers of these colleges after obtaining IEC approval and permission from the administration of the respective colleges. Questionnaires were administered by interviewers and the data was collected and later analyzed by SPSS 13.
Results: 130 males and 120 female interns responded to the questionnaire. 78.2% (n = 250) felt post-graduation was essential. 95.3% (n = 250) wanted to pursue a clinical specialty with the most preferred specialty being Medicine, Surgery, OBG and Paediatrics. Gender significantly influenced specialty choice with males choosing medicine and surgery (p value <0.005) and females choosing obstetrics and paediatrics (p value <0.005) Factors which influenced specialty choice included job satisfaction (p value <0.005), income, lifestyle friendliness and career prospects.
Conclusion: Post-graduation is an important part of a doctor’s career path. Our study showed that interns predominantly chose clinical specialties like medicine surgery and paediatrics, while very few chose to specialize in pre-clinical and para-clinical subjects. Research and general practiced were among the less preferred options too. Choice of specialty was influenced by factors such as income and future career prospects. Knowing these factors may help in modifying policy in a way that would encourage junior doctors to pursue fields that are under represention, yet essential for medical colleges and for the community.