Perception about Community Medicine as a subject and career preference among undergraduate students
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.47203/IJCH.2024.v36i01.014Keywords:
Community Medicine, Perception, Career, UndergraduateAbstract
Background: In the pursuit of cultivating primary physicians, the Department of Community Medicine (CM) emphasizes value-based education for undergraduates, aiming to shape the foundation of a first-contact doctor. Despite this, only a minority ultimately selects CM as their specialty. Aim & Objectives: The objective of this study was to evaluate how undergraduates perceive CM as both a subject and a career choice. Additionally, the study aimed to identify the factors influencing students' decisions to either choose or not choose CM as a career path. Methods and Material: We conducted a cross-sectional survey among medical college undergraduates, utilizing a pre-tested, self-administered questionnaire with a Likert scale through Google Forms, ensuring informed consent. Results: Among 411 students, 259 participated, with a mean age of 21.23 ± 1.39 years. While participants generally held a positive perception of CM, only 1.1% considered it as a career choice. Top reasons against opting CM were "unpopularity compared to clinical subjects," "lack of clinical exposure," and "insufficient information on future prospects." Conclusion: Students recognize the significance of CM and possess a positive opinion, yet there exists reluctance in choosing it as a career.
Downloads
References
Park K. Concept of health and disease. In: Park’s textbook of Preventive and Social Medicine. 26st edition. Jabalpur: Banarsidas Bhanot Publishers; 2021. p.55–56.
Navinan MR, Wijayaratne DR, Rajapakse S. Final year students’ perception regarding the curriculum in public health. Indian J Community Med, 2011; 36(4):268-74.
Dare AJ, Bullen C. Shifting perceptions and challenging the profession’s paradigms: Reflection from undergraduate week of population health. N Z Med J, 2008; 121:45-50.
Hensel WA, Smith DD, Barry DR, Foreman R. Changes in medical education: the community perspective. Acad Med, 1996; 71:441-6.
Gordon L. Public health is more important than health care. J Public Health Policy 1993; 14: 261-64.
Yusoff MSB. ABC of content validation and content validity index calculation. Education in Medicine Journal. 2019; 11(2):49-54.
Muthamilan OL, Hapani PA, Beotra S, Kotian S, Goyal I. Perception of community medicine as a curriculum and career option among medical students. Int J Community Med Public Health. 2022; 9(8):3225-3229.
Guraya SY, Almaramhy HH, Mapping the factors that influence the career specialty preference by the undergraduate medical students. SJBS 2018; 25:1096-1101.
Maiti A, Maiti A, Mohanty SS, Sarangi L, Pattnaik A. Community Medicine as a career Option: Perception among the Medical Students in a Medical College of Bhubaneswar, Odisha. IOSR-JDMS 2019; 18(4):15-20.
Gordacre MJ, Laxton L, Lambert T, Webster P. Career choices for public health; Cohort studies of gradyuates from UK medical schools. Journal of Public Health 2011; 33(4):616-623.
Singh MK, Singh AK. Community Medicine as a Career Option! How is it Perceived by Medical Students? Natl J Community Med 2013; 4(2):241-246.
Thakur AB, Upadhyay R, Wavare RR, Deshpande AR. Perception Towards Community Medicine as a Subject and Career Option among Medical Students in a Medical College, Indore, Madhya Pradesh. Ntl J Community Med 2016;7(5):430-434.
Schafer S, Shore WB, French L, Tover J. Rejecting family practice: Why medical students switch to other specialities. Fam Med 2000, 32(5):320-325.
Downloads
Published
How to Cite
Issue
Section
License
Copyright (c) 2024 Pratiksha Padhiyar, Pratik Jasani, Kishor Sochaliya
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.
