Background: Specialty choices of medical undergraduates are important in planning educational programs and human resources for health-care delivery. The aim of this study was to investigate the specialty preferences of medical undergraduates and determine the factors that influenced their specialty choices.
Methods: This was a cross-sectional questionnaire-based survey carried out among final year medical undergraduates of University of Nigeria Enugu Campus, Enugu Nigeria. A self-administered questionnaire was used for data collection from the participants. Sociodemographic characteristics, decision to specialize, the timing of the decision, specialty choices and factors influencing these choices were evaluated. Chi-squared test and unpaired t-test were used to analyze the observations.
Results: Surgery and surgical specialties 79 (52%) were the most preferred specialties among the students. This was followed by obstetrics and gynecology 22 (14.5%) and public health 16 (10.5%). Personal interest in a specialty, personal abilities/competence, and career prospects were the most influential determinants of specialty choices. The career choices of male students were preferentially influenced by family/societal expectations (P = 0.03) and diversity of patients (P = 0.01). Low work hours significantly (P = 0.04) influenced the career choices of female students.
Conclusion: Surgical specialties, obstetrics and gynecology, and public health were the most preferred specialties among our participants. The most important determinants of specialty choices were personal interest, personal abilities, and career prospects.
Download full-text PDF |
Source |
|---|---|
| http://dx.doi.org/10.4103/njcp.njcp_382_16 | DOI Listing |
Publication Analysis
Top Keywords
Similar Publications
Differentiating aspects of oral and long-acting injectable antipsychotic drugs for tailoring the therapy of schizophrenia in clinical practice: a narrative review.
Int Clin Psychopharmacol
January 2025
Department of Neuroscience, Rehabilitation, Ophthalmology, Genetics, Maternal and Child Health (DINOGMI), Section of Psychiatry, University of Genoa.
Schizophrenia is a serious psychiatric condition requiring continuous treatment with antipsychotic medications available in different formulations, including oral antipsychotics (OAPs) and long-acting injectables (LAIs). This narrative review aims to comprehensively outline the advantages and disadvantages of OAPs and LAIs to support clinicians in choosing different formulations based on the presentation of clinical symptoms. An electronic search of the PubMed database was performed in June 2024, and additional articles were retrieved from the references or personal knowledge of the authors.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFMixed representations of choice direction and outcome by GABA/glutamate cotransmitting neurons in the entopeduncular nucleus.
Elife
January 2025
Department of Anatomy and Neurobiology, Boston University Chobanian & Avedisian School of Medicine, Boston, United States.
The basal ganglia (BG) are an evolutionarily conserved and phylogenetically old set of sub-cortical nuclei that guide action selection, evaluation, and reinforcement. The entopeduncular nucleus (EP) is a major BG output nucleus that contains a population of GABA/glutamate cotransmitting neurons (EP) that specifically target the lateral habenula (LHb) and whose function in behavior remains mysterious. Here, we use a probabilistic switching task that requires an animal to maintain flexible relationships between action selection and evaluation to examine when and how GABA/glutamate cotransmitting neurons contribute to behavior.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFEconomic evaluation in the treatment of unruptured intracranial aneurysms in the Swiss healthcare system: a retrospective cost evaluation.
Swiss Med Wkly
December 2024
Faculty of Health Sciences and Medicine, University of Lucerne, Lucerne, Switzerland.
The choice of modality of treatment for unruptured intracranial aneurysms is based on various clinical aspects and the patient's preference. Financial considerations should not be among these. To evaluate any financial variations between endovascular and microsurgical treatment of unruptured intracranial aneurysms in the Swiss healthcare system, we retrospectively reviewed 100 consecutive aneurysm cases treated as inpatients in our institution.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFMolecular evidence for the role of the ovipositor of the fall armyworm: Where to lay or not to lay?
Insect Sci
January 2025
Institute of Plant Protection, Guangdong Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Key Laboratory of Green Prevention and Control on Fruits and Vegetables in South China Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of High Technology for Plant Protection, Guangzhou, China.
Oviposition behavior in insects has received considerable attention, but studies have mainly focused on the antennae, neglecting the role of the ovipositor. In this study, we investigated the functional characteristics of the ovipositor in oviposition site selection by the fall armyworm (FAW) Spodoptera frugiperda, a destructive invasive pest of maize and other cereals. In oviposition choice assays females exhibited significant repellency to isothiocyanate (ITC), volatiles specific to non-preferred cruciferous plants.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFComparison of the Effectiveness and Safety of Segmental Thoracic Spinal Anesthesia Using Isobaric Levobupivacaine 0.5% Versus Hyperbaric Levobupivacaine 0.5% in Performing Laparoscopic Cholecystectomy: A Prospective Randomized Controlled Trial.
Cureus
December 2024
Community Medicine, Autonomous State Medical College, Auraiya, IND.
Introduction: Laparoscopic cholecystectomy has evolved into a daycare procedure thanks to advancements in both surgical and anesthetic techniques. Regional anesthesia, specifically segmental thoracic spinal anesthesia (TSA), offers distinct benefits over general anesthesia, such as enhanced hemodynamic stability and quicker recovery, especially in high-risk patients. This study aims to compare the sensory and motor block characteristics, hemodynamic stability, and incidence of adverse effects between isobaric and hyperbaric 0.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFWant AI Summaries of new PubMed Abstracts delivered to your In-box?
Enter search terms and have AI summaries delivered each week - change queries or unsubscribe any time!