Socio-economic status and aspirations of Third World medical entrants: a Sri Lankan study.

Abstract

In a country with a GNP per capita income of US $340, 84% of the entrants were from families earning less than US $1090 per year. Parents were sole providers for 90% of the entrants. Satisfaction from caring for the sick and attraction of medicine as a science were prime determinants for choice of career in medicine. Forty-five per cent (45%) of the students were from rural districts. On entry to medical schools 73% wished to serve in their home district on graduation. Only 2% were to seek employment overseas. Sixty per cent (60%) of the entrants considered a monthly wage of US $109–181 as adequate on graduation.Medical schools in the Third World should take care to guide entrants who may be suitably motivated to serve the needs of their country. Students with economic constraints and language difficulties adapting to an urban environment will benefit by counselling and advice from medical teachers who are made aware of problems of medical entrants.