New Perspectives in Science Education
Perceptions of the profession by the first year students of medical university
Aigul Sapargaliyeva, Kazakh National Medical University (Kazakhstan)
Anel Kulakhmetova, University of Cambridge (United Kingdom)
Rakhima Jumasheva, Kazakh National Medical University (Kazakhstan)
Abstract
In 2014, according to the survey of "El Kanaty", the medical profession in Kazakhstan (according to 12.8% of employers) was considered as one of the most appealing. According to another study undertaken among high-school graduates, medical education was the most attractive area of studies in the country. Yet, currently there is a serious shortage of staff in the medical profession. This is often due to the fact that graduates of medical universities choose another profession after graduation.
The change in the existing labour market situation is possible in the case the medical schools will be able to understand their students better. By choosing their future profession, students choose a certain lifestyle. Therefore, it is important to know about how students ‘evaluate’ lifestyles, and how this affects their choice of specialisation.
Methods: We conducted a preliminary survey of first year students (27 questionnaires were filled). In our research, we used an adopted questionnaire developed by Kimberly Clinite et al (2013), based on the model of Bland et al, which describes factors that affect the choice of specialty. Perceptions of students and students’ preferences in relation to certain specialties, can help us understand what decisions students make regarding their future careers.
Results: The majority of first year students chose two specialties, i.e. surgery and obstetrics, which could be considered as the most extreme in medicine. However, at the same time students were pointing out that lack of stress was an important factor for them. The majority of students also mentioned that they had doctors in their families or the choice of the profession was connected to the illness of a family member or a close friend, which shows very strong motivation.
Conclusion: According to the preliminary results of the study the majority of students had very romantic perception of the chosen profession. Almost everyone stressed the importance of ‘enjoying’ their experience, which played more important role compared to place of work, salary, or schedule.
