The opinion of Qazvin medical students on their future career

Background: The opinion of students towards future career affects the quality of education and there are different factors influencing a persons attitude on future career Objective: To determine the opinion of medical students studying at different levels (basic sciences, physiopathology and clinical section) towards future career. Methods: The present descriptive study was carried out in Qazvin during the academic year of 2000-2001. A questionnaire was used to collect the data. A total number of 339 students participated in the study by filling the questionnaires. The data were further analyzed using chi-square statistical test. Findings: The results indicated that 78% of the students were eager to continue their education in speciality courses. Among students, the most important reason for field selection was self-satisfaction. From scientific, social, and economical points of view, the field was evaluated as very well by 43%, 17.7%, and 5.3%, respectively. There was a significant relationship between the educational levels and the points (0-10) given by students to medical course compared to other professions (p<0.001). The students of physiopathology level gave the highest score (9). There was also a significant relationship between the educational level and the present opinion of the students as compared with the beginning of the course (p<0.001). A negative opinion was found to be higher among the medical stagers compared with those of other levels. Conclusion: A negative attitude into future career was more obvious among the students of higher levels. Perhaps it could be concluded that, although the field of medicine was mainly chosen based on personal interest, nevertheless, the majority of students believed that their future economic prosperity is unlikely to be met by being qualified as GPs.