Al Dhaid Hospital, Ministry of Health, Sharjah, United Arab Emirates.
BMC Oral Health. 2013 Aug 13;13:39. doi: 10.1186/1472-6831-13-39.
New dental schools have been established to train dentists in many parts of the world. This study examines the future dental workforce from the first dental school in the United Arab Emirates [UAE]; the aim of this study was to explore the short and long-term career aspirations of the final year dental students in the UAE in relation to their demography.
Final year dental students of the Ajman University's College of Dentistry (n=87) were invited to participate in a self-completion questionnaire survey. Descriptive analysis, chi-square tests, and binary logistic regression analysis were carried out on career aspirations using SPSS v20.
Eighty-two percent of students (n=71) responded, the majority of whom were female (65%; n=46). Ethnicity was reported as: 'other Arab' (61%; n=43), 'Emirati' (17%, n=12), and 'Other' (21%, n=15). In the short-term, 41% (n=29) expressed a desire to work in government training centres, with Emirati students significantly more likely to do so (p=0.002). 'Financial stability' (80%; n=57) and 'gaining professional experience' (76%; n=54) emerged as the most important influences on their short-term career plans. The vast majority of students wished to specialise in dentistry (92%; n=65) in the longer term; logistic regression analysis revealed that the odds of specialising in the most popular specialties of Orthodontics and Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery were less for the 'Other' ethnic group when compared with 'Emirati' students (0.26; 95% CI 0.068-0.989; p=0.04). Almost three-quarters of the students overall (72%; n=51) intended to work full-time. 'High income/financial security' (97%; n=69), 'standard of living' (97%; n=69), 'work/life balance' (94%; n=67), and 'professional fulfilment' (87%; n=62) were reported by the students as the most influential items affecting their long-term professional career choices.
The findings suggest that students aspire to make a long-term contribution to the profession and there is a high level of interest in specialisation with a desire to achieve financial stability and quality of life.
世界许多地方都成立了新的牙科学院来培养牙医。本研究考察了阿联酋第一所牙科学院的未来牙科劳动力；本研究的目的是探讨阿联酋牙科学最后一年学生的短期和长期职业抱负与其人口统计学的关系。
邀请阿联酋Ajman 大学牙科学院的最后一年牙科学生（n=87）参加了一份自我完成的问卷调查。使用 SPSS v20 对职业抱负进行描述性分析、卡方检验和二元逻辑回归分析。
82%的学生（n=71）做出了回应，其中大多数是女性（65%；n=46）。种族报告为：“其他阿拉伯人”（61%；n=43）、“阿联酋人”（17%，n=12）和“其他”（21%，n=15）。在短期内，41%（n=29）表示希望在政府培训中心工作，阿联酋学生更有可能这样做（p=0.002）。“经济稳定”（80%；n=57）和“获得专业经验”（76%；n=54）成为他们短期职业计划的最重要影响因素。绝大多数学生希望在长期内专门从事牙科工作（92%；n=65）；逻辑回归分析显示，与阿联酋学生相比，“其他”族裔群体从事正畸和口腔颌面外科等最受欢迎专业的可能性较小（0.26；95%CI 0.068-0.989；p=0.04）。总体而言，近四分之三的学生（72%；n=51）打算全职工作。“高收入/经济保障”（97%；n=69）、“生活水平”（97%；n=69）、“工作/生活平衡”（94%；n=67）和“专业满足感”（87%；n=62）是学生认为影响其长期职业选择的最具影响力的因素。
研究结果表明，学生渴望为该专业做出长期贡献，并且对专业化有着浓厚的兴趣，希望实现经济稳定和生活质量。
