Medical Student Career Choice’s Determinants: A Qualitative Study

Abstract

Choosing a career is an essential stage in medical students' life. Previous researchers all across the world have been conducted studies to examine determinants of career choices in general and medical careers in sociodemographic and behavioral perspectives. While most of the studies centered on general career choices determinants and located mostly in western countries with general career choices as their topics, few studies explore about medical students' career choices determinants in a collectivist culture like Indonesia. Hence, this study aimed to explore and describe determinants of medical students' career choices in collectivist culture setting. Participants, 62 students in total, were recruited from all stages of undergraduate medical students in Sriwijaya University in November 2015 until January 2016. Each of focus groups was led by a facilitator to explore medical students' career choices' determinants. Transcripts encoded according to recurring topics and themes that came up during their discussions. Eight themes identified from the discussions were: four major, two intermediate and two minor issues. Major themes were financial gain, prestige, personal interest and family influence. In conclusion, some points can be used to increase medical students' interest in various medical career fields. Exposure to medical career information should not target merely on medical students but also to their family and the community as well. Government roles in providing financial incentives as well as career opportunities to medical fields to increase the interest of medical students in the certain medical field. Key words: Career choice, medical career, undergraduate Determinan Karier Mahasiswa Kedokteran: Sebuah Studi Kualitatif AbstrakPemilihan karier merupakan salah satu fase yang penting dalam kehidupan seorang mahasiswa kedokteran. Berbagai penelitian di seluruh dunia telah dilakukan dalam menemukan dan menganalisis determinan pemilihan karier seseorang, baik secara umum, maupun dalam dunia kedokteran secara khusus yang dilakukan pada perspektif sosiodemografi dan perilaku. Saat ini masih sedikit sekali penelitian yang dilakukan pada mahasiswa kedokteran yang bertujuan mengeksplorasi determinan pemilihan kariernya, terutama dalam lingkungan dengan kultur kolektivisme seperti di Indonesia. Penelitian ini ditujukan mengeksplorasi dan menjelaskan alasan pemilihan karier mahasiswa kedokteran pada lingkungan dengan kultur kolektivisme. Partisipan adalah semua mahasiswa kedokteran preklinik di Fakultas Kedokteran Universitas Sriwijaya yang berjumlah 62 orang. Penelitian dilakukan pada bulan November 2015-January 2016. Tiap kelompok diskusi terarah dipimpin oleh seorang fasilitator yang melakukan eksplorasi terkait alasan pemilihan karier mereka. Hasil diskusi dicatat dan transkrip dikelompokkan sesuai dengan tema yang sering muncul selama kegiatan diskusi berlangsung. Delapan tema teridentifikasi dalam diskusi, yaitu empat tema mayor, dua tema menengah, dan dua tema minor bergantung pada seringnya tema ter...

Parental influences on medical students' self-efficacy and career exploration in collectivist culture

“…Parents' perception will affect their opinion and suggestions because their perception of specific careers becoming more critical. [ 20 ] Maulidira et al . further reinforced the findings where parents who work as doctors become an influential role model figures and in turn has big influence for their children in choosing a medical career.…”

Medical student career choice’s determinants in Asia: a systematic review

“…It is presented from the included study that personal interest was the most influencing factor that contributed to determine Asian medical students' career choices [14][15][16][17] . It is further explained that medical students who choose a medical career based on their own desires are influenced by personal lifestyle, intrinsic motivation, and one study specifically stated that the choice is also influenced by their future plan, such as having family or their personal value such as wanting to spend more time with family [7,16] that exhibited a distinctive collectivism and family-oriented behaviour. Similar to studies elsewhere, intrinsic factors such as personal interest and professional independence are highly rated compared to extrinsic factors like parental preference, financial rewards, fixed working hours, etc.…”

“…Medical education proceeds all through a specialist's vocation and those in the calling travel down a way of constant learning [6]. Certain pattern of parental approval and collective decision making are common occurrences especially in environments with collectivism cultures such as in Asia; where the views of family, friends, or certain people are considered very influential and important to make life-changing decision, including career choice decisions [7]. A few elements impact profession decision of medicinal students.…”

“…Factors, for example, way of life and salary are significant for male and female graduating students and have been strongly connected with trends in specialty choices [11]. Medical students who choose a medical career based on their own desires are influenced by personal lifestyle, motivation, and some stated that the choice is also influenced by their future plans on having family and wanting to spend more time with family [7]. Numerous students today have progressively various interests; along these lines, when they apply for postgraduate preparing, they may favor claims to fame in which an increasingly adaptable way to deal with preparing is an alternative to permit them to incorporate other expert and family interests [12].…”