Medical Students Attitude Towards their Field of Study and Future Career

Introduction. The inappropriate increase in the number of general physicians in Iran is one of the critical and problematic issues of our society which leads to a big concern for medical students regarding their field of study and future career. This research aims to determine the attitude of medical students towards their own future career and field of study in Isfahan University of Medical Sciences in the year 2003 in order to inform educational planners about this issue. Methods. In a cross sectional survey, medical students in four levels of study including basic sciences, physiopathology, clerkship and internship were studied in the year 2002 – 2003. 321 students were selected by simple random sampling. The data gathering tool was a valid and reliable questionnaire including 42 attitude questions based on Likert scale. The data were analyzed by SPSS software using frequency distribution, mean and standard deviation, t-test and Pearson Correlation Coefficient. Results. The mean score of the medical students’ attitude towards their future career was 65.2 ± 6.1. Also, 80.9 percent of the students recommended studying medicine to others, 74.2 percent of them did not intend to quit their study, 78.8 percent chose medicine as their first selection in the national entrance examination for the universities, and 71 percent of the students would choose medicine as their first selection if they took the entrance examination again. Conclusion. The results showed the negative attitude of medical students towards their own future career, while the attitude of the majority of them towards their field of study was at an optimal level. Adjusting the number of students accepted for medicine, proper distribution of human resources, informing students about university disciplines before they take the entrance examination, providing financial support for young physicians, and establishing counseling and supporting centers for students is recommended to improve their attitudes.