BACKGROUND: The exploration of specialty choices by medical students is a hot debate as it affects several important determinants of health care delivery. This study was carried out to determine variation in specialty preferences during medical school training and the perceptions that affect students' specialty choice. METHODS: A cross-sectional questionnaire-based study was performed on 590 students with a 93.22% response rate and covered queries on demography, specialty choices, and perceptions influencing specialty choices. Class-wise analysis of specialty choices was carried out. RESULTS: The most preferred specialty expressed by male students was surgery, followed by internal medicine and orthopedics, while most preferred by female students were surgery, followed by pediatrics and ophthalmology. Male students' emphasized factors like less competitive field, shortage of specialists, and diversity of patients while the prestige of specialty and teaching opportunities had a greater impact on female students. CONCLUSIONS: Surgery, internal medicine, pediatrics, orthopedics, and ophthalmology were the most preferred specialty choices. Gender preference was observed to affect choices of few specialties such as orthopedics and obstetrics/gynecology. Perceptions which have an impact on specialty selection of male and female students may reflect a different tempo of growing up in men and women.
BACKGROUND: The exploration of specialty choices by medical students is a hot debate as it affects several important determinants of health care delivery. This study was carried out to determine variation in specialty preferences during medical school training and the perceptions that affect students' specialty choice. METHODS: A cross-sectional questionnaire-based study was performed on 590 students with a 93.22% response rate and covered queries on demography, specialty choices, and perceptions influencing specialty choices. Class-wise analysis of specialty choices was carried out. RESULTS: The most preferred specialty expressed by male students was surgery, followed by internal medicine and orthopedics, while most preferred by female students were surgery, followed by pediatrics and ophthalmology. Male students' emphasized factors like less competitive field, shortage of specialists, and diversity of patients while the prestige of specialty and teaching opportunities had a greater impact on female students. CONCLUSIONS: Surgery, internal medicine, pediatrics, orthopedics, and ophthalmology were the most preferred specialty choices. Gender preference was observed to affect choices of few specialties such as orthopedics and obstetrics/gynecology. Perceptions which have an impact on specialty selection of male and female students may reflect a different tempo of growing up in men and women.
Authors: Hamza Mohammad Abdulghani; Mohammad Irshad; Mohammed A Al Zunitan; Ali A Al Sulihem; Muhammed A Al Dehaim; Waleed A Al Esefir; Abdulaziz M Al Rabiah; Rashid N Kameshki; Nourah Abdullah Alrowais; Abdulaziz Sebiany; Shafiul Haque Journal: Neuropsychiatr Dis Treat Date: 2014-09-25 Impact factor: 2.570
Authors: Mohammed Alshahrani; Bander Dhafery; Mohammed Al Mulhim; Faisal Alkhadra; Doaa Al Bagshi; Noor Bukhamsin Journal: Adv Med Educ Pract Date: 2014-10-24
Authors: Luis Fernando Ng-Sueng; Iván Vargas-Matos; Percy Mayta-Tristán; Reneé Pereyra-Elías; Juan José Montenegro-Idrogo; Fiorella Inga-Berrospi; Felix Ancalli; Francisco Bonilla-Escobar; Cristian Diaz-Velez; Erick Gutierrez-Quezada; Jennifer Gomez-Alhach; Carlos E Muñoz-Medina; Adriana Sanchez-Pozo; Milisen Vidal Journal: PLoS One Date: 2016-08-12 Impact factor: 3.240
Authors: Mohammad Al-Zubi; Mahmoud Mustafa Ali; Safaa Alzoubi; Morad Bani-Hani; Mohammad A Awwad; Khaled Seetan; Soha Albeitawi; Sulieman Alriyalat; Saddam Al Demour Journal: Ann Med Surg (Lond) Date: 2021-07-01