title: The prospect of anatomy as a career choice among clinical year medical students in Nigeria.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Medical doctors are potential important source of anatomy teachers. The aim of this study was to determine the choice of anatomy as a career option among medical students in a Nigerian medical school
  
  
  METHODS
  Descriptive survey of second- and third-year medical students using a self-administered questionnaire to asses age, sex, perception of anatomy as a subject, anatomy training experience and choice of anatomy as a career among respondents. Analysis was conducted using the SPSS and statistical significance inferred at P RESULTS: Three hundred and fifty three (85.3% response rate) who completely filled questionnaire were returned and analyzed of which 195 (55.2%) were males and 158(44.8%) were females. Their ages ranged between 18 and 37 years with a mean of 22.4 9.9 years. Although most students agreed that anatomy was an important subject in medical sciences 346 (98%), they had benefited from anatomy training in their clinical classes 320 (90.7%), and the knowledge of anatomy is useful in investigating patients with certain diseases 251 (71.1%), only 22 (6.2%) would choose anatomy as a career. Male students were more likely to choose anatomy as a career (P=0.026). Textbooks were the most common 334 (94.5%), while radiological means were the least 23 (6.5%) method employed in learning anatomy.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Anatomy as a subject is perceived positively by clinical medical students, but the choice as a career option is low; attempt at increasing career interest is needful.
authors.affiliation: Department of Anatomy and Cell Biology and Surgery, Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile-Ife, Nigeria. uvtoyin2@yahoo.co.uk
authors.forename: Oluwatoyin H
authors.initials: OH
authors.lastname: Onakpoya
authors.forename: Uvie U
authors.initials: UU
authors.lastname: Onakpoya
authors.forename: Grace E
authors.initials: GE
authors.lastname: Adereti
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000715:Anatomy / Q000193:education*; D002321:Career Choice; D004501:Education, Medical; D005180:Faculty, Medical; D005260:Female; D007722:Health Knowledge, Attitudes, Practice; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D009549:Nigeria; D012647:Self-Assessment; D012737:Sex Factors; D012938:Social Perception; D013337:Students, Medical; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D013663:Teaching; D055815:Young Adult