Motivation for and concerns about entering a medical programme: a Caribbean perspective

ABSTRACT

OBJECTIVE: To determine the motivation for and concerns about studying medicine, and future career plans of students of Faculty of Medical Sciences, University of the West Indies (UWI). DESIGN AND METHODS: A cross-sectional survey that included year 1 medical students at both the Mona and St. Augustine medical schools of the UWI was conducted. A self-administered questionaire containing structured questions on demographics and family background, motivation for and concerns about studying medicine and future career preferences held by students at entrance into the course of study, was used to collect the data. RESULTS: A total of 228 students took part in the study, 103 from Mona and 125 from St. Augustine. Seventy-three percent of the students were between 18 and 22 years of age with 61 percent being females and 39 percent males. The students gave the highest rating to those motives best described as people-oriented. These included interest in relations between health, well-being and society and caring for and working with people. The female students scored significantly higher than the males for most of those motives. However, males rate the social prestige/status motive significantly higher than females. The greatest concern of the students was fear of failure. Surgical specialities (43 percent), family medicine (38 percent) and paediatrics (34 percent) were the top choices of the students for future specialty. However, significantly more males chose surgery while more females chose obstetrics.(AU)