Selection of Community Medicine as a subject for Post-Graduation: Students’ Perspective

Abstract

Background: It has been a common observation that medical graduates are often not enthusiastic to choose community
medicine as a career. Majority of students who enter in community medicine is not by their genuine interest in the subject but
by default.
Aims & Objectives: (1) To explore the views of medical students regarding their career choice.(2) To assess
possible reasons for medical students opting for or shying away from community medicine as a career option.
Material and Methods: A cross-sectional study was carried out among 3rd& 4th year students and Interns
at C.U.SHAH Medical College and Hospital situated in Surendranagar, Gujarat. Self-structured pretested
questionnaire was used for collection of data. Out of 250 students 200 students participated for study.
Results: A small number of students opted for preventive and social medicine (15%), selection of Community
medicine as a career option was significantly low among males (8%) and students having a doctor in their family
(6%).The popular choice among male and female were medical and surgical specialties (50%). Choice of Public
health was least among 3rd year students. “Lack of personal satisfaction” ranked topmost in rejection criteria.
Conclusion: The study reveals that there were a lot of misconceptions about the subject; its future prospects,
opportunities etc. The peer review about the subject was also not very encouraging. This needs to be changed by
making the subject interesting during undergraduate training and making them aware about the opportunities
the subject offers.