title: [Contact with death or illness and career choice in non-medical health<BR>professions and business students: a cross-sectional analysis].
abstract: . Contact with death or illness and career choice in non-medical health professions and business students: a cross-sectional analysis.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  It is anecdotally reported that a personal severe illness or the death of a significant person might be key reasons for the choice of a career in the non-medical health professions.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  The aim of the questionnaire was to explore past relevant life events before starting professional studies (severe personal illness; severe illness or death of a significant person; drug addiction of a relative or friend) by comparing students of nursing or other non medical health professions with business students.
  
  
  METHODS
  An anonymous questionnaire with standardized closed questions was distributed in 2010 to a group of bachelor students of non-medical health professions (nursing, physiotherapy, occupational therapy and rescue care) and to a control group of business students at the University of Applied Sciences and Arts of Southern Switzerland.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Students of non-medical health professions had been, compared to business students, significantly more exposed to severe illnesses or the death of a relative (OR 3.070, CI95% 1.716-5.494), to personal severe illness (OR 3.950, CI95% 1.384-11.279) and to addiction of a relative or friend (OR 2.672, CI95% 1.316-5.422) before starting their professional studies.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  This cross-sectional analysis suggests that exposure to a severe illness or death may play an important role in the choice of career, probably by supporting intrinsic motivations. Further research should explore the role of those past life experience in professional behavior.
authors.forename: Paola
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Di Giulio
authors.forename: Gianfranco
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Domenighetti
authors.forename: Angelo
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Tomada
authors.forename: Susanna
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Baseotto
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D001293:Attitude to Death; D001294:Attitude to Health; D002321:Career Choice; D003132:Commerce / Q000193:education; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D005260:Female; D006281:Health Occupations / Q000193:education; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D013334:Students / Q000523:psychology*; D055815:Young Adult