Assessing Medical Students’ Interest in Community Medicine/Public Health as a Career Path: A Cross-Sectional Study at Sahiwal Medical College, Sahiwal, Pakistan: Medical Students’ Interest in Community Medicine/Public Health as A Career Path

. Menahal; Mushayyad Hussain; Muhammad Hassam Rehm; Muhammad Hassaan; Hira Iftikhar; Muhammad Imran Ul Haq

doi:10.54393/pjhs.v6i5.2618

Authors

. Menahal Sahiwal Medical College, Sahiwal, Pakistan
Mushayyad Hussain Faisalabad Medical University, Faisalabad, Pakistan
Muhammad Hassam Rehm Department of Community Medicine and Public Health, Sahiwal Medical College, Sahiwal, Pakistan
Muhammad Hassaan Abwa Medical College, Faisalabad, Pakistan
Hira Iftikhar Department of Community Medicine and Public Health, Sahiwal Medical College, Sahiwal, Pakistan
Muhammad Imran Ul Haq Department of Community Medicine and Public Health, Sahiwal Medical College, Sahiwal, Pakistan

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.54393/pjhs.v6i5.2618

Keywords:

Community Medicine, Future Preferences, Public Health, Undergraduate Medical Students

Abstract

Public health should be the priority of underdeveloped countries like Pakistan to have better management plans for combating diseases. But it was observed that medical students are less interested in a career as a public health specialist, and they are less inclined towards community medicine. Objectives: To determine the preferences of the undergraduate medical students towards the choice of subject for specialization and to determine their attitude towards community medicine as a future career. Methods: A cross-sectional questionnaire-based study was conducted at a public sector medical college of Punjab using a convenient sampling technique. After receiving approval and having informed consent from the 315 study participants, we shared the questionnaire via WhatsApp in the form of Google Forms. The data were then analyzed using SPSS version 26.0. Results: Out of the total 315 participants, 170(54%) were females and 145 (46%) were males. The majority (96%) of the students were inclined towards opting for clinical sciences after graduation. Surgery 139 (44.1%) and Medicine 84 (26.6%) were the most preferred fields for specialization, only 9(2.8%) students preferred community medicine (p-value=0.001). When asked for the reason for not choosing community medicine, the majority, 189 (60%), said that they are not impressed by this subject. Career dissatisfaction was identified as the second main reason (14.6%) for not opting for this subject as a future career path. Conclusions: It was concluded that appropriate teaching methodology should be adopted and the curriculum should be designed in such a way that it may increase students’ interest in community medicine.

References

Hohf-Nova M, Hun-Pacheco R, Muñoz-Bustos D, Soto-Carriel A, Pérez-Villalobos C. When It Is Time to Decide: Factors Associated to the Choice of a Medical Speciality. Revista Médica de Chile. 2021 Sep; 149(9): 1352-9. doi: 10.4067/S0034-98872021000901352.

Padhiyar PR, Jasani PK, Sochaliya KM. Perception about Community Medicine as a subject and career preference among undergraduate students. Indian Journal of Community Health. 2024 Feb; 36(1): 73-8. doi: 10.47203/IJCH.2024.v36i01.014.

Norris R, Wildstein A, Galanter CA. Medical Student Interest in Straight-from-Medical-School Child and Adolescent Psychiatry Specialization. Academic Psychiatry. 2022 Feb; 46(1): 55-9. doi: 10.1007/s40596-021-01583-z.

Yıldız MS and Khan MM. Factors Affecting the Choice of Medical Specialties in Turkiye: An Analysis Based On a Cross-Sectional Survey of Medical Graduates. BioMed Central Medical Education. 2024 Apr; 24(1): 373. doi: 10.1186/s12909-024-05349-7.

Levaillant M, Levaillant L, Lerolle N, Vallet B, Hamel-Broza JF. Factors Influencing Medical Students’ Choice of Specialization: A Gender Based Systematic Review. E Clinical Medicine. 2020 Nov; 28. doi: 10.1016/j.eclinm.2020.100589.

Asaad M, Zayegh O, Badawi J, Hmidi ZS, Alhamid A, Tarzi M et al. Gender Differences In Speciality Preference Among Medical Students at Aleppo University: A Cross-Sectional Study. BioMed Central Medical Education. 2020 Dec; 20: 1-9. doi: 10.1186/s12909-020-02081-w.

Kıyak YS, Budakoğlu Iİ, García-Estañ J, Atta K, Coşkun Ö, Koyun E. What Do Turkish, Spanish, and Pakistani Medical Students Value in Specialty Training Positions? A Discrete Choice Experiment. BioMed Central Medical Education. 2022 Nov; 22(1): 752. doi: 10.1186/s12909-022-03798-6.

Tariq Z, Aimen A, Ijaz U, Khalil KU. Career Intentions and Their Influencing Factors among Medical Students and Graduates in Peshawar, Pakistan: A Cross-Sectional Study on Brain Drain. Cureus. 2023 Nov; 15(11). doi: 10.7759/cureus.48445.

da Silva AC, da Silva KG, Costa TT, de Oliveira Dutra M, de Oliveira AB, de Sousa Silva RM et al. The Importance of Preventive Medicine in Reducing Chronic Diseases. Revista de Gestão Social e Ambiental. 2024 May; 18(2): 1-1. doi: 10.24857/rgsa.v18n2-040.

Gamber M, Henderson D, Ruelas DM. The Impact of COVID-19 on Health Professions Student’s Perceptions, Future Education and Career Aspirations and Confidence in Public Health Responses. Journal of American College Health. 2024 Jun; 72(5): 1412-8. doi: 10.1080/07448481.2022.2077111.

Sengupta B, Das R, Das S. Subject Preference for Future Specialization Among Undergraduate Medical Students and Their Perception Towards Community Medicine as A Career Option: A Cross-Sectional Study. International Journal of Community Medicine and Public Health. 2019 Aug; 6: 3578-82. doi: 10.18203/2394-6040.ijcmph20193491.

Khan S. The Impact of Gendered Experiences on Female Medical Students’ Speciality Choice: A Systematic Review. The American Journal of Surgery. 2023 Jan; 225(1): 33-9. doi: 10.1016/j.amjsurg.2022.10.023.

Hauer KE, Durning SJ, Kernan WN, Fagan MJ, Mintz M, O’Sullivan PS et al. Factors Associated with Medical Students' Career Choices Regarding Internal Medicine. Journal of the American Medical Association. 2008 Sep; 300(10): 1154-64. doi: 10.1001/jama.300.10.1154.

Duhm L, Wittek A, Plöger R, Haverkamp N, Marinova M, Strizek B et al. Exploring Undergraduate Medical Students’ Perceptions and Career Choices in Obstetrics and Gynecology. Geburtshilfe und Frauenheilkunde. 2025 Mar; 85(03): 333-43. doi: 10.1055/a-2500-0078.

Ali S, Vines HD, Lensing SY, Ram R, Chang D, Deloney LA et al. Factors Influencing the Commitment of Students to Radiology as A Career Choice During Medical School Education. Academic Radiology. 2021 Aug; 28(8): 1174-8. doi: 10.1016/j.acra.2020.07.025.

Kock L, Mlezana NB, Frantz JM. Perceptions, Attitudes and Understanding of Health Professionals of Interprofessional Practice at A Selected Community Health Centre. African Journal of Primary Health Care and Family Medicine. 2021; 13(1): 1-6. doi: 10.4102/phcfm.v13i1.2724.

Al-Jaeed A, Al-Rammahi Y, Mawash M, Al-Hadrawy HK, Al Ghazali BS. Exploring Speciality Preferences and the Influencing Factors Among Undergraduate Medical Students at the University of Kufa, Iraq: A Questionnaire-Based Cross-Sectional Survey. Journal of the Pakistan Medical Association. 2021 Apr; 71(4): 1303-8.

Wang F, Fang Y, Deng H, Wei F. How Community Medical Facilities Can Promote Resilient Community Constructions Under the Background of Pandemics. Indoor and Built Environment. 2022 Apr; 31(4): 1018-27. doi: 10.1177/1420326X211048537.

Gupta S, Debnath A, Charag S, Kishore J. Perceptions and Attitudes Toward Community Medicine Among Medical Students: A Systematic Review. Cureus. 2024 Jan; 16(1). doi: 10.7759/cureus.52107.

Garg BS. Teaching/Training and Practice of Public Health/PSM/Community Medicine. Indian Journal of Community Medicine. 2017 Jul; 42(3): 127-30. doi: 10.4103/0970-0218.212073.

DiPietro Mager N and Bright D. Advancing Public Health Through Community Pharmacy Practice. Pharmacy. 2023 Mar; 11(2): 56. doi: 10.3390/pharmacy11020056.

Kuhlmann E, Falkenbach M, Brînzac MG, Correia T, Panagioti M, Rechel B et al. Tackling the Primary Healthcare Workforce Crisis: Time to Talk About Health Systems and Governance—A Comparative Assessment of Nine Countries in the WHO European Region. Human Resources for Health. 2024 Dec; 22(1): 83. doi: 10.1186/s12960-024-00965-2.

Zulu JM and Perry HB. Community Health Workers at the Dawn of a New Era. Health Research Policy and Systems. 2021 Oct; 19: 1-5. doi: 10.1186/s12961-021-00761-7.

Dubé È, Labbé F, Malo B, Pelletier C. Public Health Communication During the COVID-19 Pandemic: Perspectives of Communication Specialists, Healthcare Professionals, and Community Members in Quebec, Canada. Canadian Journal of Public Health. 2022 Dec; 113(Suppl 1): 24-33. doi: 10.17269/s41997-022-00697-7.