Greek medical students' career choices indicate strong tendency towards specialization and training abroad.
The aim of the study was to investigate the career choices, location preferences and criteria among medical students in Greece. We applied a questionnaire-based analysis using a sample of 591 students of four out of seven Greek Medical Schools. The sample included students of all academic years. The vast majority of students wish to specialize (97.6%), while general practice gathered a very low percentage (1.7%). The scientific challenge (61.4%) and interaction with patients (60.6%) seem to be the major influencing factors for most of the students' specialty preferences, whilst less common variables influencing career choice are the high demand/supply ratio for certain health services (40.4%), the income potential (31.4%), the active tempo (26.2%) and prestige (15%). 70.3% of those asked consider the possibility of specializing abroad. The low concern of Greek medical students for general practice reveals today's drastic deficiency in Greek primary health care. Such a situation will escalate, unless targeted strategies to produce more general practitioners are adopted. Furthermore, the results reflect a lower education and organizing level urging students to specialize abroad. The National Health System (NHS) should be reformed towards a rationalistic distribution of the medical specialties and medical workforce.
Avgerinos
Efthimios D
ED
Second Department of Surgery, General Hospital Asclepeion Voulas, Athens, Greece.
Msaouel
Pavlos
P
Koussidis
George A
GA
Keramaris
Nikolaos C
NC
Bessas
Zacharias
Z
Gourgoulianis
Konstantinos
K
D000328:Adult; D001291:Attitude of Health Personnel; D002321:Career Choice; D004501:Education, Medical; D004503:Education, Medical, Graduate / Q000458:organization & administration*; D004504:Education, Medical, Undergraduate / Q000458:organization & administration; D005194:Family Practice / Q000193:education / Q000458:organization & administration; D005260:Female; D005544:Forecasting; D005550:Foreign Medical Graduates / Q000523:psychology; D006115:Greece; D018166:Health Care Reform / Q000458:organization & administration; D006301:Health Services Needs and Demand; D006801:Humans; D007182:Income; D007393:International Educational Exchange; D008297:Male; D008511:Medicine / Q000458:organization & administration; D009042:Motivation; D009313:National Health Programs / Q000458:organization & administration; D011320:Primary Health Care / Q000458:organization & administration; D011365:Professional Practice Location; D013038:Specialization; D013337:Students, Medical / Q000523:psychology* / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D014195:Travel