Attitude towards working in rural area and self-assessment of competencies in last year medical students: A survey of five countries in Asia.
BACKGROUND
Five countries in Asia including Bangladesh, China, India, Thailand and Vietnam formed a network called Asia-Pacific Network for Health Professional Education Reforms (ANHER). This network collectively conducted a survey at the national level and at the institutional level (for medical, nursing and public health education). We also undertook an assessment of final year graduates from these schools on their attitudes, competencies and willingness to work in rural areas.


METHODS
Pretested anonymous questionnaire comprised of four sections including demographic data, attitudes towards working in rural area, where to work after graduation and perception about competency of respondents was used. Descriptive and analytical statistics were used for data analyses.


RESULTS
About 60 % of students from Bangladesh and Thailand had positive attitude towards working in rural area, 50 % in both China and India and only 33 % in Vietnam. Students' positive attitudes towards their school in terms of preparing or inspiring them to work in rural areas were low across all five countries. Upon graduation and in the next five years, majority of students wanted to work in public sectors. Interestingly confidence about overall competency was quite low.


CONCLUSIONS
Positive attitude towards working in rural areas varied significantly across five countries in Asia. Medical schools should improve the preparation and inspiration towards working in rural areas for their students.


CONCLUSIONS
Medical schools should put more effort in improving students' attitude towards working in rural areas.
Department of Ophthalmology, Faculty of Medicine, Siriraj Hospital, Mahidol University, Bangkok, Thailand, 10700. wim.wanicha@gmail.com.
Wanicha L
WL
Chuenkongkaew
Public Health Foundation of India, Delhi NCR, Plot No. 47, Sector 44, Institutional Area, Gurgaon, 122002, India.
Himanshu
H
Negandhi
Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Faculty of Medicine, Khon Kaen University, Khon Kaen, Thailand, 40002.
Pisake
P
Lumbiganon
Peking University Health Science Center, Beijing, China.
Weimin
W
Wang
James P Grant School of Public Health, BRAC University, Dhaka, Bangladesh.
Kawkab
K
Mahmud
Hanoi School of Public Health, Hanoi, Vietnam.
Pham Viet
PV
Cuong
D001291:Attitude of Health Personnel; D001459:Bangladesh; D002681:China; D002983:Clinical Competence; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007194:India; D008297:Male; D019035:Rural Health Services; D012647:Self-Assessment; D013337:Students, Medical / Q000523:psychology*; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D013785:Thailand; D014744:Vietnam; D055815:Young Adult
Asian countries; Attitude; Competencies; Medical student; Rural areas