What do medical students want from their professional and private life?
OBJECTIVE
To analyze medical students wishes regarding their professional and private life and whether their wishes change over the years of medical studies.


METHODS
We surveyed 886 of 1,686 students at the Zagreb University School of Medicine during the academic year 2000/2001. The students were asked to complete an anonymous questionnaire with two groups of 5 wishes, one group pertaining to professional and the other to personal life. Students were offered to choose a single, most appealing goal they wanted to achieve in private and professional life.


RESULTS
The predominant categories of professional wishes were for humanism and achievement (36%), knowledge (31%), and altruism (22%). Among personal wishes, 42% of the students wished for intimacy and love and 38% for self-confidence. The frequency of altruistic wishes did not significantly vary over the years of study. Women wished more for self-confidence and made more altruistic wishes, whereas men preferred influence, friendship, and money. Factors, such as the year of studies, average grade, rank at admission test, and residence in a large city did not influence the students choices.


CONCLUSIONS
The wishes of medical students over the six years of studies proved to be remarkably stable and related to personal achievement, knowledge, and altruism.
Prka
Matija
M
Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Holy Ghost General Hospital, Sveti Duh 64, 10000 Zagreb, Croatia. mprka@mef.hr
Danić
Ana
A
Glavas
Edgar
E
D017523:Croatia; D005260:Female; D006040:Goals; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D013337:Students, Medical / Q000523:psychology*