Specialty choice among final-year medical students and house officers in Nigeria: implications for anaesthesia practice – a cross-sectional study
Objectives Nigeria’s doctor shortage is worsening with mass exodus and imbalanced specialty distribution. Anaesthesia faces particularly critical shortages. Medical graduate specialty choices have a vital impact on the workforce and are essential for healthcare planning. This study aimed to identify...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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BMJ Publishing Group
2025-01-01
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| Series: | BMJ Open |
| Online Access: | https://bmjopen.bmj.com/content/15/1/e084517.full |
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| author | Thankgod Chukwunnonso Okonkwo Gbolahan Deji Olatunji Victor Mayowa Adeleye Mukaila Oyegbade Akinwale |
| author_facet | Thankgod Chukwunnonso Okonkwo Gbolahan Deji Olatunji Victor Mayowa Adeleye Mukaila Oyegbade Akinwale |
| author_sort | Thankgod Chukwunnonso Okonkwo |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Objectives Nigeria’s doctor shortage is worsening with mass exodus and imbalanced specialty distribution. Anaesthesia faces particularly critical shortages. Medical graduate specialty choices have a vital impact on the workforce and are essential for healthcare planning. This study aimed to identify the current specialty preferences of final-year medical students and house officers in Nigeria, factors that affect such choices, and their implications for anaesthesia practice.Design We conducted a cross-sectional study among final-year medical students and house officers in Nigeria using a self-administered, semistructured electronic questionnaire. The survey question was divided into four sections: sociodemographic data, specialty preferences, factors considered in choosing a specialty, perception of anaesthesia posting and anaesthesia as a specialty.Setting The survey was delivered via a Google Form that had been active for 4.5 months.Participants A total of 760 valid responses were received from final-year medical students and house officers in Nigeria. The majority (63.82%) of the participants were final-year medical students.Results Surgery (26.58%), internal medicine (14.47%) and obstetrics and gynaecology (14.34%) were the top-ranking specialty choices. Only 3.55% (eighth in ranking) intended to specialise in anaesthesia. There was a positive correlation between respondents’ specialty choice and the specialty of their doctor role model. Passion/interest, flexibility, potential future income and job prospects were essential in choosing a specialty. Most decisions were made during clinical rotations (63.95%), and only 35.26% had career guidance. Many enjoyed their anaesthesia posting, but over half felt the exposure was inadequate.Conclusions Too few medical graduates in Nigeria prefer anaesthesia as a specialty, and there is an urgent need to increase interest. A lack of career counselling, anaesthetist mentors and satisfactory clinical rotations are factors that can be improved for better recruitment into anaesthesia. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-b3cf6dce810c43afba92a68af64f8d17 |
| institution | Kabale University |
| issn | 2044-6055 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-01-01 |
| publisher | BMJ Publishing Group |
| record_format | Article |
| series | BMJ Open |
| spelling | doaj-art-b3cf6dce810c43afba92a68af64f8d172025-01-21T05:30:09ZengBMJ Publishing GroupBMJ Open2044-60552025-01-0115110.1136/bmjopen-2024-084517Specialty choice among final-year medical students and house officers in Nigeria: implications for anaesthesia practice – a cross-sectional studyThankgod Chukwunnonso Okonkwo0Gbolahan Deji Olatunji1Victor Mayowa Adeleye2Mukaila Oyegbade Akinwale3Department of Anaesthesia, University College Hospital Ibadan, Ibadan, Oyo, NigeriaJohns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, Baltimore, Maryland, USADepartment of Community Medicine, Ekiti State University Teaching Hospital, Ado Ekiti, Ekiti, NigeriaDepartment of Anaesthesia, University College Hospital Ibadan, Ibadan, Oyo, NigeriaObjectives Nigeria’s doctor shortage is worsening with mass exodus and imbalanced specialty distribution. Anaesthesia faces particularly critical shortages. Medical graduate specialty choices have a vital impact on the workforce and are essential for healthcare planning. This study aimed to identify the current specialty preferences of final-year medical students and house officers in Nigeria, factors that affect such choices, and their implications for anaesthesia practice.Design We conducted a cross-sectional study among final-year medical students and house officers in Nigeria using a self-administered, semistructured electronic questionnaire. The survey question was divided into four sections: sociodemographic data, specialty preferences, factors considered in choosing a specialty, perception of anaesthesia posting and anaesthesia as a specialty.Setting The survey was delivered via a Google Form that had been active for 4.5 months.Participants A total of 760 valid responses were received from final-year medical students and house officers in Nigeria. The majority (63.82%) of the participants were final-year medical students.Results Surgery (26.58%), internal medicine (14.47%) and obstetrics and gynaecology (14.34%) were the top-ranking specialty choices. Only 3.55% (eighth in ranking) intended to specialise in anaesthesia. There was a positive correlation between respondents’ specialty choice and the specialty of their doctor role model. Passion/interest, flexibility, potential future income and job prospects were essential in choosing a specialty. Most decisions were made during clinical rotations (63.95%), and only 35.26% had career guidance. Many enjoyed their anaesthesia posting, but over half felt the exposure was inadequate.Conclusions Too few medical graduates in Nigeria prefer anaesthesia as a specialty, and there is an urgent need to increase interest. A lack of career counselling, anaesthetist mentors and satisfactory clinical rotations are factors that can be improved for better recruitment into anaesthesia.https://bmjopen.bmj.com/content/15/1/e084517.full |
| spellingShingle | Thankgod Chukwunnonso Okonkwo Gbolahan Deji Olatunji Victor Mayowa Adeleye Mukaila Oyegbade Akinwale Specialty choice among final-year medical students and house officers in Nigeria: implications for anaesthesia practice – a cross-sectional study BMJ Open |
| title | Specialty choice among final-year medical students and house officers in Nigeria: implications for anaesthesia practice – a cross-sectional study |
| title_full | Specialty choice among final-year medical students and house officers in Nigeria: implications for anaesthesia practice – a cross-sectional study |
| title_fullStr | Specialty choice among final-year medical students and house officers in Nigeria: implications for anaesthesia practice – a cross-sectional study |
| title_full_unstemmed | Specialty choice among final-year medical students and house officers in Nigeria: implications for anaesthesia practice – a cross-sectional study |
| title_short | Specialty choice among final-year medical students and house officers in Nigeria: implications for anaesthesia practice – a cross-sectional study |
| title_sort | specialty choice among final year medical students and house officers in nigeria implications for anaesthesia practice a cross sectional study |
| url | https://bmjopen.bmj.com/content/15/1/e084517.full |
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