School of Medicine, University of Limerick, Limerick, Ireland.
School of Law, University College Cork, Cork, Ireland.
BMC Med Educ. 2023 Jun 19;23(1):449. doi: 10.1186/s12909-023-04425-8.
Challenges in recruiting appropriately trained obstetricians and gynaecologists have been identified across the world. Given well documented staff shortages within obstetrics and gynaecology in Ireland, it is increasingly important to understand the factors which influence medical students to choose or reject a career in the speciality. The aim of this study was to ascertain the perceptions of final year graduate entry medical students of obstetrics and gynaecology, including the factors which may influence a student's decision to pursue in a career in the speciality.
Paper-based surveys of graduate entry medical students (n = 146) were conducted at the beginning and end of a six week rotation in obstetrics and gynaecology in Ireland. Responses to the surveys pre- and post-rotation were matched and changes in career choices, merits and demerits over time were analysed. All analysis was conducted using SPSS for Windows version 25.
The responses of 72 students to both questionnaires could be matched (response rate of 49.3%). No male students expressed an interest in obstetrics, gynaecology or both as a first choice of career in the pre rotation survey. Obstetrics as a first choice of career increased from 6.9% pre rotation to 19.4% post rotation (p = 0.04) and this increase was seen in male and female students. Gynaecology as a first choice increased slightly from 1.4 to 4.2% (p = 0.50) and the dual speciality increased from 6.9 to 13.9% (p = 0.23). Students identified many merits of obstetrics pre-rotation with more than 60% identifying it as exciting, interesting fulfilling and challenging. However, incompatibility with family life was cited as a demerit by 72% of respondents and 68.1% identified fear of litigation as a demerit. Participants were less positive overall about the merits of a career in gynaecology with less than 40% viewing it as exciting, fulfilling, and varied.
While respondents were positive about the merits of a career in obstetrics and gynecology, concerns remain about work-life balance, career opportunities, and the high-risk nature of the specialty. These concerns should be addressed by the profession and policy makers if they wish to attract sufficient numbers to address anticipated need in the coming years. Gender differences in speciality choice were also evident. If males are to be recruited into obstetrics and gynaecology, consideration should be given to the positive impact of internship.
在全球范围内，招募受过专业培训的妇产科医生都面临挑战。鉴于爱尔兰产科和妇科人员明显短缺，了解影响医学生选择或拒绝从事该专业的因素变得越来越重要。本研究的目的是确定最后一年的研究生入学医学生对妇产科的看法，包括可能影响学生决定从事该专业的因素。
在爱尔兰的妇产科六周轮转开始和结束时，对研究生入学医学生（n=146）进行了纸质问卷调查。对轮转前后的调查进行了配对，并分析了随着时间的推移，职业选择、优点和缺点的变化。所有分析均使用 SPSS for Windows 版本 25 进行。
146 名学生中有 72 名学生对两份问卷的回答可以匹配（应答率为 49.3%）。在轮转前的调查中，没有男学生表示对妇产科或两者都有兴趣作为第一选择职业。作为第一选择的妇产科从轮转前的 6.9%增加到轮转后的 19.4%（p=0.04），并且这种增加在男学生和女学生中都有。作为第一选择的妇科略有增加，从 1.4%增加到 4.2%（p=0.50），而双专业从 6.9%增加到 13.9%（p=0.23）。学生在轮转前确定了许多妇产科的优点，超过 60%的学生认为它令人兴奋、有趣、充实和具有挑战性。然而，72%的受访者认为与家庭生活不兼容是缺点，68.1%的人认为害怕诉讼是缺点。参与者对妇科职业的优点总体上不太积极，不到 40%的人认为它令人兴奋、充实和多样化。
尽管受访者对妇产科职业的优点持肯定态度，但对工作与生活的平衡、职业机会和该专业的高风险性质仍存在担忧。如果他们希望吸引足够数量的人来满足未来几年的预期需求，那么专业人员和政策制定者应该解决这些问题。在专业选择方面也存在明显的性别差异。如果要招募男性从事妇产科工作，应考虑实习的积极影响。
