Speciality choices of final year medical students: A 10‑year follow‑up

Abstract

Introduction: The preference of medical specialties by medical graduates may play a role in determining the pattern of the future workforce in the healthcare system. This was a longitudinal study over a 10-year period (2004-14) to determine what progress the graduates have made regarding their specialty choices at the graduation level.

Materials and Methods: Structured self-administered questionnaires were administered to 40 final year medical students to determine their preferences for medical specialisation at graduation in 2004. Follow-up interviews were conducted after a10-year period (in 2014) to determine to what extent they were able to realise their objectives.

Results: Out of the 40 medical students involved in this study, 24 were males (60%) and 16 were females (40%). Their mean age at graduation level was 27.3 ± 1.97 years. There was a high preference for Obstetrics and Gynaecology (O and G) and Paediatrics at graduation. At 10 yearspost graduation, 5 students had reached the level of Consultants, 20 were at the level of Senior Registrars while 15 were at the level of Registrars and Medical officers. At 10 years post-graduation, there was a preference for Family Medicine, Internal Medicine, Radiology, and Community Medicine; despite the predominance of Paediatrics and O and G at graduation. When the age at graduation of these students was compared with their current status, those at the rank of consultants showed a younger age at graduation level of 26.4 ± 0.55 years, compared with Senior Registrars (27.45 ± 1.54 years), and medical officers/others (27.60 ± 2.50 years). However, these differences were not of statistical significance [one-way analysis of variance (ANOVA)F= 0.778,P= 0.467]. Pursuing the preferred area of specialisation at the graduation (P= 0.04) was associated with more progress in post-graduate training.

Conclusion: Specialty choices are determined by availability of training posts, with choice of specialty at the level of graduation, giving way to what is pragmatically available and feasible. However, pursuing preferred area of specialisation at graduation is associated with more progress in career. Furtherstudies are required to determine the contribution of other factors in determining career progress and sticking to preferred area of specialisation at graduation.