Department of Optometry and Visual Science, Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology, Private Mail Bag, University Post Office, Kumasi, Ghana.
PLoS One. 2020 May 29;15(5):e0233862. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0233862. eCollection 2020.
Optometry students in clinical years are usually faced with the challenges of making a career choice in or outside optometry. This cross sectional study was conducted to investigate the career aspirations of optometry students in Ghana. All students in their fourth to sixth year who consented to participate in the study responded to a questionnaire which explored: demographic characteristics, career aspirations, and factors influencing their choices. Descriptive statistics was used to present data as frequencies, proportions and percentages. Chi-square test and logistic regression analysis were used to evaluate relationships between variables. Two hundred and nine students from the two optometry training institutions in Ghana; Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (49.8%) and University of Cape Coast (51.2%) responded to the questionnaire. The mean (SD) age of students was 23.6 (1.9) years (males = 65.6%). On seeking admission into the university, optometry (65.6%) and human biology/medicine (28.2%) were the leading first choice programmes among participants. Participants largely aspire to be in clinical practice (64.6%) or Academia/Research (28.2%). The major factors which influenced career choices were interest in career field (64.1%) and potential good income (38.3%). Females were twice more likely to practice optometry and pursue an interest in paediatric optometry than males. Institution of study (p = .028) and information on career opportunities (p = .018) were significant predictors of students' decision to pursue a career in academia/research. Optometry students in Ghana largely aspire to be in clinical practice, a finding which is useful for optometry training institutions and relevant stakeholders in developing the optometry programme and projecting its future in Ghana.
视光学专业的临床年级学生通常面临着在视光行业内外选择职业的挑战。本横断面研究旨在调查加纳视光专业学生的职业抱负。所有同意参与研究的第四至第六年的学生都回答了一份问卷，该问卷探讨了：人口统计学特征、职业抱负以及影响他们选择的因素。描述性统计用于以频率、比例和百分比呈现数据。卡方检验和逻辑回归分析用于评估变量之间的关系。加纳的两所视光培训学校（夸梅·恩克鲁玛科技大学[49.8%]和开普敦大学[51.2%]）的 209 名学生对问卷做出了回应。学生的平均（SD）年龄为 23.6（1.9）岁（男性=65.6%）。在申请进入大学时，视光学（65.6%）和人类生物学/医学（28.2%）是参与者的首选专业。参与者主要希望从事临床实践（64.6%）或学术/研究（28.2%）。影响职业选择的主要因素是对职业领域的兴趣（64.1%）和潜在的高收入（38.3%）。女性从事视光学和对小儿视光学感兴趣的可能性是男性的两倍。学习机构（p=0.028）和职业机会信息（p=0.018）是学生决定从事学术/研究职业的重要预测因素。加纳的视光专业学生主要希望从事临床实践，这一发现对视光专业培训学校和相关利益相关者制定视光课程计划并预测其在加纳的未来非常有用。
