Motivations and future plans of the final year students in a Chinese dental school

Abstract

Background: Understanding dental students' future career choice and motivation could provide beneficial references for both educators and students, but there were few studies on students in a Chinese dental school. The study aimed to investigate Chinese final year dental students' the short-term and long-term plans, motivations, and identify the influence of gender on the future plans.

Methods: A total of 265 final year dental school students of the School of Stomatology, China Medical University from 2016 through 2020 were invited to complete an anonymous, 27-item questionnaire. Moreover, almost all of questions were in multiple-choice formats. Data were categorized and analysed using chi-square comparative analyses.

Results: 88.3% of respondents decided to pursue a graduate degree after graduating from dental school. Moreover, the single most important reason influencing their plans was "eligible for better jobs" (42.8%). More females than males studied dentistry (222 vs 111), and gender had an influence on the choice of specialty.

Conclusions: This study listed the selection tendency and influencing factors of students in a Chinese dental school for the reference of educators and students. And the results could raise some useful influence and feedback effect on current health and education policy, and on the career development of practicing dentists or dental students.

Keywords: Decision-making; Dentistry; Medical education research; Planning; Undergraduate.

Fig. 1

Responses to the question: “What were your plans after graduate”. Respondents could select all answers that applied

Fig. 2

Responses to the question: “when did you decide to pursue a graduate degree”

Fig. 3

Responses to the question: “what were the main reasons influencing your decision to pursue a graduate degree”. Respondents could select all answers that applied

Fig. 4

Response to the question: “what was first specialty choice of graduate program”

Fig. 5

Responses to the question: “what were main factors influencing your specialty choice of graduate degree”. Respondents could select all answers that applied

Fig. 6

Response to the question: “what was the single most important factor influencing your specialty choice of graduate degree”

Fig. 7

Response to the question: “what were main discipline choices of graduate program. Respondents could select all answers that applied. *p < 0.05. There were significant differences between men and women in the choice of oral and maxillofacial surgery and paediatric dentistry

Fig. 8

The long-term future plan of female and male