title: Attitudes of medical students toward pediatric neurology.
abstract: Planning strategies to encourage students to pursue a career in pediatric neurology requires assessment of their attitudes and career choices. A structured 30-item questionnaire was designed to examine students' attitudes toward pediatric neurology. In the study, 161 final-year medical students (1999-2000), 20-26 years of age (mean, 23 years of age) were included prospectively. Although most students had been taught by a pediatric neurologist and considered neurologic disorders interesting, 77%-100% had unfavorable attitudes. Although 79% considered pediatric neurology as a future career option, only nine students (6%) selected it as their first choice. Our findings highlight some aspects that might be targeted to promote students' interest in pediatric neurology and improve their learning experiences.
authors.affiliation: Department Neurosciences; King Faisal Specialist Hospital & Research Center, Kingdom of, Jeddah, Saudi Arabia.
authors.forename: Mohammed M S
authors.initials: MM
authors.lastname: Jan
authors.forename: Nadia M
authors.initials: NM
authors.lastname: Fida
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D001290:Attitude; D002321:Career Choice; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D009462:Neurology; D010372:Pediatrics; D011446:Prospective Studies; D013337:Students, Medical / Q000523:psychology*; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires