Future Specialty Research Articles

What makes medical students choose their residencies? Association between mental health of medical students and their choices of future medical specialties

Background: Excessive cognitive demands and chronic stress contribute to the occurrence of mental health problems among medical students. It may be hypothesized that the presence of such disturbances have an influence on their choices of post-graduate training programs. Objective: The aim of the study was to evaluate the state of mental health of medical students and to assess if there is any association between the prevalence of mental health problems and their residency choices. Materials and methods: 114 medical students were surveyed in terms of their residencies' choices and their mental health with the usage of validated psychological questionnaires. Results: 74 (64,91%) of medical students needed psychiatric or psychological treatment at some stage in their lives. Intensity of risky alcohol consumption was positively correlated with the choice of surgery (p=.0000) and negatively correlated with the choice of psychiatry (p=.0000). The severity of depressive symptoms was positively correlated with emergency medicine choice (p=.0479). Anxiety symptoms, eating disorders and autism spectrum severity symptoms were not significantly correlated with the choice of any medical specialty. Conclusions: Medical students were found seriously affected by mental health problems, what to some extent seemed to impact their future career choices.

Factors Influencing Medical Students' Choice of Anesthesiology as a Future Specialty in Saudi Arabia.

Background According to the American Society of Anesthesiologists (ASA), anesthesiologists are experts in administering anesthesia, pain management, and critical care medicine. In addition, they provide general perioperative care. Personal interests, career stability, reputation, income, and clinical rotation experience influence medical students' career choices. Studies show that anesthesiology remains one of the least popular specialties among Saudi medical students. Our study aims to determine the preference for anesthesiology among Saudi medical students and the factors influencing their career choice options. Methodology This cross-sectional study was implemented by distributing a self-administered verified survey. Results Our study included 532 medical students, predominantly female (n=344, 64.7%), aged 18-24 years (n=424, 79.7%), and Saudi nationals (n=508, 95.5%). Most were single (n=500, 94%) without children (n=522, 98.1%). A majority were not interested in anesthesiology as a future specialty (n=297, 55.8%), with some uncertainty (n=148, 27.8%) and a smaller interested group (n=87, 16.4%). Controllable lifestyle (n=294, 55.3%) and financial income (n=213, 40%) were critical factors for choosing anesthesiology as a specialty. Interest in another specialty (n=342, 64.3%) and stress (n=286, 53.8%) were significant opposing factors. Academic year significantly affected consideration (p<0.001), with second-year students showing the highest interest (61.8%) and sixth-year the lowest (24.8%). Other factors showed no significant association. Conclusion Our study reveals low interest in anesthesiology among Saudi medical students. A controllable lifestyle and financial income are key attractions. Interest declines significantly by the sixth year due to their interest in other specialties, lifestyle concerns, and stress.

Analysis of Influencing Factors for Choosing Dermatology as a Future Career: A Cross-Sectional Study Among Medical Students at King Abdulaziz University.

Determining the influencing factors of choice of medical specialty is key to a balanced distribution of physicians across specialties. Dermatology, the specialty concerned with treating skin disorders, is known for being among the most wanted; however, studies identifying the factors that attract students to this specialty are lacking. Our study aimed to investigate the influencing factors of the choice of dermatology as a career in clinical-year medical students. We conducted a cross-sectional study with a sample of clinical-year medical students from King Abdulaziz University, Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, between 2020 and 2021. We collected data using an online self-administered questionnaire; we replicated a questionnaire present in prior research. We compared categorical data using the chi-square and Fisher's exact tests. Results: In total, there were 252 participants, with 30 (11.9%) choosing dermatology as a specialty. Over half showed an average grade of more than 4.5 (66.7%), and 83.3% were female. The significant influencing factors of students' choice of dermatology as a career were: the likelihood of dermatologists influencing patients' lives (p=0.000), opportunities to conduct research in dermatology (P=0.000), how Dermatology allows people to have a satisfying family life (P=0.001), and opportunities for part-time work in dermatology (p=0.000). Many factors influenced the choice of a future medical specialty in our sample. Focusing on these factors while guiding students to choose their specialty may enable a promising next generation of physicians.

The Impact of the Psychiatry Medical Student Scholars Program.

Providing medical students with psychiatry research opportunities early in their careers may contribute to fostering career interests and increasing research literacy and interest. In this report, the authors describe the Psychiatry Medical Student Scholars Program (MSSP) at the University of Cincinnati College of Medicine and the results from a survey of its impact on student career outcomes over 9years. All MSSP participants were invited to complete an online survey via SurveyMonkey to assess the impact of the program on their interest in psychiatry and research. The MSSP began in 2012 with one student. There have been 47 MSSP participants from 2012 to 2021. Rapid growth of the MSSP was seen with class sizes ranging from 1 to 11. At the time of survey, nineteen MSSP alumni graduated medical school and 28 were still in medical school. Sixty-six percent of eligible participants responded, with a 53% response rate for medical school alumni and a 75% response rate for current medical students. Nine out of nineteen (47%) MSSP students who had graduated from medical school selected a career in psychiatry. Eighty-four percent of participants had presented or published their research. Sixty-eight percent of participants reported that the program has been valuable in deciding their future specialty. Participants tended to credit exposure to psychiatric research as medical students with fostering interest in the field and aiding in their career decisions. The components of the program described can be replicated at other institutions to increase exposure to psychiatric research.

Global impact of a virtual neurology morning report

The global shortage and inequitable distribution of neurologists has led to significant gaps not only in neurology care, but also in neurology education. In order to increase access to neurology education, we developed neurology virtual morning report (NVMR), a virtual, open-access, case-based clinical reasoning conference available to learners worldwide. To evaluate NVMR's impact on participants' perception of, interest in, and confidence in neurology, we conducted a survey. Respondents represented 25 different countries of various income levels. The majority of respondents reported that NVMR decreased their perception of difficulty in understanding neurology and increased confidence in various clinical reasoning domains in neurology. Additionally, the majority of medical student participants showed an increased interest in pursuing neurology as a future specialty after participating in NVMR. NVMR represents a potential model for virtual educational conferences and highlights the opportunities digital education has to improve equitable access to neurology education.

Preparation of the pre-service teacher to deliver comprehensive sexuality education: teaching content and evaluation of provision

BackgroundDespite the extensive benefits associated with the provision of comprehensive sexuality education (CSE) within a school context, many initial teacher training programs inadequately prepare pre-service teachers to deliver this content. Programs that do provide such instruction do not routinely share details of their curriculum, syllabi, or evaluation data.MethodsThis paper outlines the structure of an Australian undergraduate course for pre-service teachers that focuses on instruction in CSE. This course spans twelve teaching weeks, aligns with evidence-based principles for sexuality education, prioritises experiential learning and requires students to complete authentic, practical assessment tasks. Formative, process, and short-term impact evaluation data, based upon five years of delivery, are described.ResultsStudents completing this course reported statistically significant improvements in attitudes associated with CSE and comfort in facilitating all domains of learning (knowledge, attitudes, skills).ConclusionsPositive process and short-term impact data provide strong evidence for the provision of CSE to pre-service teachers, regardless of future teaching speciality. Proposed amendments include the creation of a fully online tuition pattern and an expansion of content to incorporate other audiences, such as community-based educators.

Neurosurgery in Saudi Arabia: Navigating Through Future Pathways and Students' Perspectives

Neurosurgery is a surgical discipline that demands comprehensive knowledge in other specialties. It is regarded as one of the most competitive specialties. However, there is a new trend toward considering life-style friendly specialties. Therefore, this study aims to assess the neurosurgery perception and identify potential factors influencing such attitudes. An observational, survey-based study was conducted on medical students at the College of Medicine, Imam Abdulrahman bin Faisal University, Dammam, Saudi Arabia. An online-based questionnaire was administered to the participants. It consisted of 2 main parts: the first part collected demographic data, while the second part included 20 Likert scale-based questions. Pearson's χ2 test was utilized, with statistical significance set at P < 0.05. A total of 305 medical students from various academic years participated in the questionnaire survey, with nearly an equal gender distribution. Remarkably, a significant majority (76.72%) expressed uncertainty or disagreement regarding the adequacy of neurosurgery education during their medical studies. While a substantial portion of participants (69.5%) found neurosurgery intriguing, almost half (47.87%) indicated that they would not pursue it as their future specialty. The consideration of neurosurgery as a career path showed statistically significant differences in relation to both gender and academic year (P= 0.009 and P < 0.001, respectively). This study emphasizes how gender and academic year affect choosing neurosurgery as a career but notes limitations like self-reporting bias and a single-institution scope, which may affect generalizability. Future research might consider national summer training programs to engage more students in neurosurgery.

The Influence of COVID on Emergency Medicine Career Choice: A Survey of Medical Students.

Background The COVID-19 pandemic has led to substantial changes in the delivery of healthcare and medical education. Little is known about how the pandemic has altered medical students' perceptions in regard to career choice. Methods The authors developed and implemented a multi-center survey that evaluated medical students' preferred career choice before and during the coronavirus pandemic, as well as the influence of pandemic-related factors on that choice. The survey was distributed to all levels of medical students (MS) at nine medical schools across the country from November 2020 to January 2021 and represented a convenience sample. Preferred career choice was assessed through the use of a Likert scale and additional factors affecting career choice were solicited.The degree of interest before and during the pandemic, as well as factors influencing the shift, were treated as ordinal variables and compared using chi-squared testing. Cohen's Kappa statistic was calculated to assess the degree of shifts of interest in Emergency Medicine among students. The study was deemed exempt by the Institutional Review Board at the host institution, Sidney Kimmel Medical College at Thomas Jefferson University, and all participating sites. Results A total of 1431 of 6710 (21.3%) eligible students completed the survey. The COVID pandemic was cited as a reason for a changed interest in specialty by 193 (13.5%) students.The most common reason for specialty change was the students' clinical experience, followed by a desire to be on the front lines, and personal/family health concerns. There was a significant association between career change and degree of interest among students interested in emergency medicine (EM) as their future specialty before the COVID pandemic as well as during the COVID pandemic. Living with an immunocompromised individual had a significant association with a reducedinterest in EM. There was a significant association between EM rotation completion and how interested students were in EM as their future specialty before the COVID pandemic and during the COVID pandemic. Among EM-interested students whose specialty interest was changed by the COVID pandemic, 34 (41.5%) became less favorable to EM, 28 (34.2%) stayed the same, and 20 (24.4%) students became more favorable to EM. Conclusions The impact of COVID-19 on medical students' career choice is a complicated matter that involves both personal and professional factors. It appears that there is a trend towards less interest in the field of EM with multifactorial influences, some of which are related to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Factors Influencing the Preference of Medical Students at Umm Al-Qura University for Otorhinolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery as a Future Specialty: A Cross-Sectional Study.

Otorhinolaryngology (ORL) specialists treat patients of different ages, ranging from elderly patients with head and neck tumors to neonates with respiratory problems. No studies have been conducted to explore the factors that affect the preference for ORL among Umm Al-Qura University students. We aimed to investigate factors and motivators influencing medical students at Umm Al-Qura University in Makkah, Saudi Arabia, who choose to pursue a career in ORL-head and neck surgery. This cross-sectional study was conducted over two months in 2023 among 439 students in the pre-clinical, clinical, and internship years of the Faculty of Medicine at Umm Al-Qura University, Saudi Arabia.We shared a Google Forms questionnaire(Google, Inc., Mountain View, CA) and explored factors associated with interest in ear, nose, and throat (ENT) as a future specialty.We used Pearson's chi-squaretest to arrive at the results. A total of 339 (77.2%) participants were female. Participants were evenly divided between pre-clinical years (213 (48.5%)) and clinical years (207 (47.2%)), with a smaller percentage in the internship category (19 (4.3%)). ORL involvement was reported in 159 (36.2%) of the participants. The surgical specialty of ORL focuses mostly on conditions affecting the head, neck, nose, and ears. Since students found this specialty fascinating, we recommend that senior doctors make a greater effort to enlighten doctors-in-training about this field of expertise through lectures and campaigns at hospitals and universities.

ВЫБРАННАЯ СПЕЦИАЛЬНОСТЬ ГЛАЗАМИ СТУДЕНТА ВУЗА (по материалам социологического исследования)

The article examines the preferences of Russian university students when choosing &#x0D; a specialty. At the empirical level, the motives for obtaining higher education and students plans for &#x0D; the future were identified, and the reasons for choosing or changing a future specialty were analyzed. Based on the survey results, the authors offer their recommendations to students for choosing the right specialty.

The magnitude of influence of personal and professional factors on the career choices of medical students.

Medical students face uncertainty in choosing their future careers, which is influenced by personal and professional factors and can have a direct impact on the healthcare system and society. In this study, we aimed to analyze the magnitude of influence of personal and professional factors on students' choices of a future specialty, among medical students in Saudi Arabia and other Arab countries. This cross-sectional exploratory study used cluster sampling and collected demographic data, influencing factors, preferred specialty, and engagement level, using a 20-item questionnaire. The study included 1,105 students, of which 60.5% were women. Income was the most influential factor for both sexes (68.5%) and was statistically significant for men (P < 0.0001), with personal experience and type of patients served being more important for women. Many students (42.6%) were undecided about their future specialty. However, general surgery was the most preferred specialty, followed by internal medicine (10.9%) and obstetrics and gynecology (5.5%). Women had a significantly higher mean personal score than men, indicating a preference for surgery (3.07 ± 2.2 vs. 2.78 ± 2.1; P = 0.029). In this study, we found that income significantly influenced medical students' choices of specialty, with surgery being the most common, and that many students are undecided about their specialty, needing career counseling and mentoring programs.

Решение физических задач как инструмент формирования профессиональных компетенций врача и провизора

Solving physical problems can be considered as a goal and method of teaching. Insufficient fundamental knowledge of medical university students will not allow them to meet modern requirements of medical science. The choice of physics tasks, the content of which is focused on the future profession, contributes to the formation of professional and general cultural competencies of a doctor and a pharmacist. It is reasonable to use such tasks in different types of classes: seminars, laboratory workshops, colloquiums. Motivation is increased by selecting tasks taking into account the future medical specialty and identifying interdisciplinary connections. The article provides examples of tasks in accordance with the goals set during the lesson.

Residencia en Anestesiología y Reanimación en la comunidad autónoma de Madrid, España: ¿qué conocimientos tienen los residentes y cuáles son los motivos de su elección de la especialidad?

BackgroundOver the past years, choice of specialization in Anaesthesiology and intensive care has become more popular in Spain among medical students. We designed a survey to study this trend, assessing theoretical knowledge and factors which participated to the choice of anaesthesia, among first-year residents in the region of Madrid. MethodsA survey was designed to evaluate the background, exposure to anaesthesia during medical school training, and motivation, followed by a test of knowledge based on 15 multiple choice questions. The questions were proposed to the seventy residents of the Madrid Autonomous Region who started their training program in 2022. Results60/70 (85,7%) residents answered the survey. Only 58,3% of respondents had studied in Madrid and 98,3% had chosen anaesthesia as their first option. During their medical degree, 65% of them had received theoretical lectures in anaesthesia and 66,7% did a clinical rotation. Choosing to specialize in Anaesthesiology was influenced by doing clinical rotations (p < 0,001), but not by receiving lectures (p=0,88). When asked about the main reasons for selecting anaesthesia, the variety of technical skills available had influenced 76,7% residents, the width of knowledge 75% and the career opportunities 73,3% of residents. The median score for the knowledge test reached 13/15 of correct answers. ConclusionMost of our first-year residents did a clinical rotation during their medical degree and were exposed to their future specialty, which oriented their choice. When considering anaesthesia as a choice, technical skills was the most influencing factor.

Methods of teaching motor skills and professional orientation skills of information major students in the process of physical education

The article examines the motor skills and characteristics of the psyche of future information technology specialists, which made it possible to determine those indicators that directly affect the educational achievements of students of higher education and to develop model characteristics of the formation of motor skills and professional orientation skills of students of information specialties. At the same time, the relationship between the indicators of special motor training and the level of professional training of future information technology specialists has been determined, and the structure of psychophysical training for the successful mastery of professional abilities and skills of the future specialty in the field of information technology has been determined. The differentiation of physical education of students of higher education according to gender, motivational aspirations and future specialty is substantiated, and on this basis, a methodology for the formation of motor skills and professional orientation skills of future information technology specialists is developed.

Factors affecting young doctors' choice of medical specialty-A qualitative study.

Young doctors' choice of medical specialty is essential to maintaining a sufficient health workforce and developing a sustainable healthcare system. The choice of specialization is the result of numerous factors, including doctors' preferences, population needs, and the number of available residency slots. The aim of this article is to explore the factors taken into consideration by young Polish physicians in choosing their future specialty. We have conducted 30 structured interviews with randomly selected recent medical school graduates (17 female and 13 male). The study was conducted from December 2022 until February 2023 using online platforms. Data from in-depth interviews were coded using NVivo Release 1.6.1. Then thematic analysis was performed. Respondents indicated remuneration and career-associated factors as the main determinants, emphasizing that work-life balance, personal motivations, and the flexibility to choose the type of workplace (hospital vs. outpatient clinic) were even more important. Young doctors expect flexibility in working hours and better working conditions in future work, and these factors are important when choosing a medical specialty. Significant difficulties during the selection of medical specialty include limited residency slots in preferred specializations and lack of knowledge concerning the everyday aspects of work in a particular specialty. Factors and limitations influencing the choice of medical specialty should be taken into account by policymakers to address the shortages of doctors in deficit specialties. Knowledge about doctors' preferences regarding their medical specialty could support the development of targeted policies to increase the attractiveness of deficit specialties and reduce the uneven distribution of medical staff.

Effects of In-House Calls on Medical Students' Perspectives of Surgical Education and Future Career Opportunities.

Background: It has been shown that surgical residents who took few or no in-house calls during medical school felt less prepared for the residency. In this study, our objective was to assess the impact of in-house calls carried out by medical students on their perceptions of medical training, including the influence on specialty choice. Methods: The students were asked to complete an anonymized questionnaire at the first and last day of their general surgery clerkship. Students were asked regarding importance for medical training and education, preparation for the internship, learning opportunities, skills acquisition; negative effects, including fatigue, negative effect over medical training, personal life, and physical and mental health derangements; and the student's perception of the residents' in-house calls and parameters affecting specialty selection: difficulty of the residency, prestige, and future career opportunities. Results: A total of 42 medical students responded to 84 questionnaires. There was a significant difference in the importance of calls among male students before the beginning of the clerkships compared with the end of the clerkship (4.53 versus 4.21, P = .034). At the end of general surgery clerkship, students indicated that the calls less impaired studying during the clerkship (2.5 versus 2.21, P < .05) compared with the beginning of the clerkship. Female students ranked the calls as less demanding at the end of the clerkship (2.53 versus 2.12, P < .05). The impact of the residency difficulty on the selection of their future specialty was rated higher by the students at the end of the clerkship compared with their expectations at the beginning (3.13 versus 2.85, P = .033). Conclusions: In conclusion, our study demonstrates that in-house calls performed by medical students during their general surgery clerkships have a significant influence on their perceptions of medical training and choice of specialty. The study also highlights the importance of gender differences in the students' perception of the importance and impact of calls on their well-being.

Modern approaches to the organization of physical education in the sphere of information technologies taking into account the conditions of their professional activities

The article presents a study of the scientific works of leading researchers on physical education in institutions of higher education, which allow us to assert its insufficient humanistic and professional orientation, confirm the absence of a scientifically based model of the system of physical education in the country as a whole and specifically in each institution of higher education in accordance with its training profile. It is shown that during the development of educational and work programs for students of higher education in accordance with modern technologies, specialists of physical education departments of higher education institutions need to take into account the specifics of a specific future profession, as well as the gender and individual characteristics of those who study in connection with the heterogeneity of the student contingent . At the same time, the professional activity of information technology specialists is characterized, in addition to the presence of important mental and personal qualities inherent in general professional activity, as well as the presence of individual skills for working on or with a computer, as well as specific conditions of study and work, which impose an additional imprint on the structure of special applied physical training of students of higher education.&#x0D; It has been established that the issue of physical education of future information technology specialists is represented in the literature only by isolated studies, there are no centralized methodical instructions, recommendations, training manuals on issues of its organization in institutions of higher education. The attention of specialists was focused only on the study of the role of dexterity for the successful professional activity of specialists, and the importance of the mental characteristics of the development of the body of students of information specialties (attention, memory, etc.) during the performance of their professional duties was also shown. At the same time, there are no works aimed at researching the formation of motor skills and skills of a professional orientation in the process of physical education, taking into account the gender and the future specialty of an information technology specialist.

Ориентиры, ожидания и факторы принятия решения о поступлении в вуз

The article analyzes students’ expectations and professional guidelines, and factors influencing the choice of a specific university for higher education. In the process of searching for a new identity, Russian universities need reliable information about the demands of stakeholders. The article proves that sociological surveys among students, contrary to the growing opinion among experts, can serve as a source of such data. In addition, the results of the study refute the point of view about growing professional skepticism among students, although in this case the dependence on the future specialty is clearly recorded. In the authors’ opinion, great efforts, when making decisions (including government ones), must be directed to the harmonization of all “three missions” of the university, and especially to student science. The article summarizes the results of an empirical sociological study. The research samples were quota, stratified by areas of training, the second sample was stratified by course of study. The volume of the first sample was 580 people aged 18 to 20; the size of the second sample was 964 people aged 19 to 25. As a result of the study, the authors found the following: professional optimism of student youth is sufficiently associated with obtaining higher education; students are not characterized by infantilism and weak professional orientation; students’ awareness and optimism in the field of Russian science is low; students often make decisions about their professional choice independently, but often under the influence of “random” factors; freshmen are more optimistic about their professional future compared to seniors. The study demonstrated the need for regular monitoring of the professional expectations and orientations of students at universities in order to better understand, among other things, their development prospects and their strategic goals.

Из опыта организации педагогического сопровождения адаптации обучающихся – будущих архитекторов средствами внеучебной деятельности колледжа

The article updates the importance of activities for pedagogical support of adaptation of college students in the context of growing interest among young people in secondary vocational education. The necessity of providing pedagogical support for the adaptation of students – future architects to the educational environment of the college, taking into account the specifics of their future specialty, is substantiated. It is proposed to use the pos-sibility of extracurricular activities as a means of ensuring the effectiveness of organizing pedagogical support for the adaptation of future architects. An analysis of the current state of knowledge of the problem in the scien-tific literature was carried out. On the basis of scientific positions determined based on the analysis of psycho-logical and pedagogical literature, a program of pedagogical support for the adaptation of first-year students of the specialty 02/07/01 was developed and tested at the State Educational Institution of Professional Education “Penza College of Architecture and Construction”. Architecture through extracurricular activities. The stage-by-stage organization and content of activities for pedagogical support of adaptation of future architects to the ed-ucational environment of the college through extracurricular activities in areas corresponding to the compo-nents of adaptation: educational-professional, socio-psychological and psychophysiological are characterized. The results of the program implementation are presented.

Bilingual Education in Institutions of Higher Education: Values, Purposes, Specificity

The article highlights issues related to the implementation of bilingual education in Ukrainian higher education institutions. The study of this problem promotes to the integration of Ukraine into the European and world cultural and educational space, which is one of the priority areas of education development according to the National Doctrine of Education Development.&#x0D; Specific features acquired by bilingual education at the end of the 20th century are outlined. Bilingual education is both a means of obtaining bilingual education and a process of forming a personality open to interaction with the surrounding world. It is noted that during bilingual education, a foreign (in particular, English) language is not only the goal, but also a means of understanding the world of special knowledge.&#x0D; The peculiarities of the implementation of bilingual education in higher education institutions are considered in detail. There have been formulated the questions which need to be theoretically comprehended for the successful implementation of bilingual education in higher educational institutions. Special attention is paid to the set of didactically and methodologically relevant factors, due to the peculiarities of the taught discipline and the future specialty of the student. Appropriate criteria (both linguistic and non-linguistic) have been identified, which affect the content, organization and choice of methods of bilingual education in a certain specialty. The need to identify and take into account all relevant factors in their interrelationships is established, because only in this case is it possible to create a scientifically based concept of bilingual education at one or another non-language faculty in a higher education institution.