Aleppo University, Faculty of Medicine, Aleppo, Syria.
Department of Pathology, Aleppo University, Faculty of Medicine, Al-Mouhafaza, Aleppo, Syria.
BMC Med Educ. 2020 Jun 5;20(1):184. doi: 10.1186/s12909-020-02081-w.
This study aims to identify gender differences in specialty preference and career choice among Syrian medical students.
A cross-sectional study comprising currently enrolled second, fourth and sixth year medical students at Aleppo University was conducted. Demographics, specialty preferences and factors influencing this decision were collected and analyzed.
A total of 561 students (44% males, 56% females) responded to our survey (87% response rate). Surgical specialties (40%) and internal medicine (16%) comprised the two most common specialties chosen by males. In contrast, the majority of females preferred other specialties (17%), internal medicine (16%) and surgical specialties (15%). The most common factor affecting the choice of a specialty by both genders (74% females and 71% males) was 'A specialty that I like and find interesting'. Work/life balance and anticipated income were the second most common influencing factors by females (62%), males (67%), respectively. The majority of both genders supported the idea that medical students should be able to pursue any medical specialty they want, regardless of their gender. However, females more often believed that they had decreased opportunities for professional advancement based on their gender compared to males (33% vs. 4% respectively, p < 0.001).
We illustrated significant gender differences in specialty preferences and factors influencing this decision. While the majority of participants agreed that medical students should be able to pursue any medical specialty they desire regardless of gender, more women believed they had decreased opportunities for professional advancement based on gender. Policy makers should advocate for a culture of gender equity and develop educational programs to insure gender balance of physicians into different specialties.
本研究旨在确定叙利亚医学生在专业偏好和职业选择方面的性别差异。
对阿勒颇大学目前就读的二、四、六年级医学生进行了一项横断面研究。收集并分析了人口统计学资料、专业偏好以及影响这一决定的因素。
共有 561 名学生（44%为男性，56%为女性）对我们的调查做出了回应（87%的回应率）。外科专业（40%）和内科（16%）是男性选择的两个最常见专业。相比之下，大多数女性更喜欢其他专业（17%）、内科（16%）和外科专业（15%）。性别（74%的女性和 71%的男性）对选择专业影响最大的共同因素是“我喜欢并感兴趣的专业”。工作/生活平衡和预期收入是女性（62%）、男性（67%）的第二大常见影响因素。大多数男女都支持医学生应该能够选择任何他们想要的医学专业，而不论其性别如何的观点。然而，与男性相比，更多的女性认为她们因性别而失去了更多的职业发展机会（分别为 33%和 4%，p<0.001）。
我们展示了专业偏好和影响这一决定的因素方面存在显著的性别差异。虽然大多数参与者认为医学生应该能够追求任何他们想要的医学专业，而不论其性别如何，但更多的女性认为她们因性别而失去了更多的职业发展机会。政策制定者应倡导性别平等文化，并制定教育计划，以确保不同专业的医生性别平衡。
