Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2024 Jan 23;24(1):81.
doi: 10.1186/s12909-024-05050-9.

Medical students' career preferences in Bangladesh

Mohammad Azmain Iktidar  1   2   3 , Md Muid Sakib  4 , Ummi Rukaiya Munni  5 , Fahmida Hoque Rimti  4 , Renessa Yousuf  6   4 , Koushik Majumder  4 , Tirtha Saha  7 , Farhat Lamisa Golpo  7 , Md Samee U Sayed  4 , Sabrina Monsur  8 , Asadul Al Galib  9 , Md Kamran Hossain  10 , Sigma Alam Shupti  11 , Noshin Nawar  6   12 , Sudeshna Mazumder  4 , M Tasdik Hasan  13   14   15
Affiliations

Medical students' career preferences in Bangladesh

Mohammad Azmain Iktidar et al. BMC Med Educ. .

Erratum in

  • Correction: Medical students' career preferences in Bangladesh.
    Iktidar MA, Sakib MM, Munni UR, Rimti FH, Yousuf R, Majumder K, Saha T, Golpo FL, Sayed MSU, Monsur S, Al Galib A, Hossain MK, Shupti SA, Nawar N, Mazumder S, Hasan MT. Iktidar MA, et al. BMC Med Educ. 2024 Feb 28;24(1):206. doi: 10.1186/s12909-024-05189-5. BMC Med Educ. 2024. PMID: 38419012 Free PMC article. No abstract available.

Abstract

Aim: This study aimed to investigate the career preferences among Bangladeshi medical students, identify the factors that influence their present choices, and additionally report the role of gender and academic year behind their decisions.

Methods: This cross-sectional study conducted in Bangladesh from August 2022 to April 2023 included 801 medical students conveniently selected from medical colleges in eight divisions. Data were collected using a web-based survey and analysed using STATA version 16.0. Statistical tests included the Kolmogorov-Smirnov test, arithmetic mean, standard deviation, frequency, and Kruskal-Wallis H test. The response rate was 94.6%, and the CHERRIES guideline was followed for reporting the results.

Result: The majority of the participants were female (64.42%) and under the age of 23 years (58.8%). The study revealed that medicine was the preferred career choice for the majority of students (65%), with surgery being the most popular first choice (30.21%) among them. Female medical students showed a significantly higher preference for gynaecology & obstetrics (p < 0.001), while male students had a significantly higher tendency to choose general practice (p = 0.002). There is a significant gender difference (p < 0.05) in the career preference factors, including professional prestige, role model influence, easy money, family time, promotion opportunities, income for lifestyle, and research opportunities. Academic year differences were also observed, with increasing interest in medicine and public health (p < 0.001), a decrease in interest in surgery (p < 0.001), and a decline in preference for non-medical careers as students progressed through their MBBS life (p < 0.05).

Conclusion: Overall, medicine was the most popular speciality choice, however, male students preferred general practice and female students preferred gynaecology and obstetrics more. Personal passion, opportunities for contribution to society, professional prestige, having a direct dealing with patients, and income will allow an enjoyable lifestyle were the most important factors in the choice of their career.

Keywords: Bangladesh; Career Preference; Medical Student.

PubMed Disclaimer

Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare no competing interests.

Figures

Fig. 1
Fig. 1
The distribution of career preferences divided into a first, second, and third choices among the medical students of Bangladesh during the 2022 academic year
Fig. 2
Fig. 2
The comparison of first-choice career preferences by different genders among the medical students of Bangladesh
Fig. 3
Fig. 3
Comparison of factors affecting the career preference of study participants by gender (n = 801). Responses were based on the mean score from a 5-point Likert-type scale with strongly disagree = 1, disagree = 2, neutral = 3, agree = 4, and strongly agree = 5. Mann-Whitney U test was used to determine the differences between male and female students. A p-value of < 0.05 are presented as yellow diamonds
Fig. 4
Fig. 4
The comparison of first-choice career preferences by academic year among the medical students of Bangladesh during the 2022 academic year
See this image and copyright information in PMC

References

    1. Bangladesh Economic Review 2022 [Internet]. Dhaka.; 2022 Jun [cited 2023 Apr 16]. Available from: https://mof.portal.gov.bd/site/page/28ba57f5-59ff-4426-970a-bf014242179e....
    1. GHWA Task Force on Scaling Up Education and Training for Health Workers [Internet]. 2008 [cited 2021 Aug 12]. Available from: https://www.who.int/workforcealliance/knowledge/case_studies/CS_Banglade....
    1. Walsh S, Arnold B, Pickwell-Smith B, Summers B. What kind of doctor would you like me to be? Clin Teacher. 2016;13(2):98–101. doi: 10.1111/tct.12389. - DOI - PubMed
    1. Zurn P, Dal Poz MR, Stilwell B, Adams O. Imbalance in the health workforce. Hum Resour Health [Internet]. 2004 Dec 17 [cited 2021 Aug 12];2(1):13. Available from: http://human-resources-health.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/1478-4491-2-13. - PMC - PubMed
    1. Hasan MT, Hossain S, Gupta R, Das, Podder V, Mowri NA, Ghosh A et al. Depression, sleeping pattern, and suicidal ideation among medical students in Bangladesh: a cross-sectional pilot study. Journal of Public Health (Germany) [Internet]. 2022 Feb 1 [cited 2023 Jun 17];30(2):465–73. Available from: https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s10389-020-01304-0.

LinkOut - more resources