title: Indian Pediatric Postgraduate's Perspective on Future Career Intentions.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To determine the factors that influence Pediatric residents to pursue a subspecialty career and establish their choice of future workplace.
  
  
  METHODS
  The present questionnaire based study was conducted during a National level pediatric post graduate exam refresher course in Chennai, India and involved Pediatric residents from all parts of India. Datas was analysed with the statistical package for social sciences (SPSS, version 18.0).
  
  
  RESULTS
  Seventy five respondents participated in the study. Eighty-nine percent of the female students reported that marriage has an influence on whether or not to do sub specialisation and their choice of it while 92% of the male students found it irrelevant. Fifty-one (male - 75%, female - 58%) students pragmatically cited "interest in the subject Pediatrics" when asked for the reason choosing Pediatrics as their future career. Neonatology was the most chosen speciality followed by Critical Care and Cardiology. When asked to indicate the most important factors that is likely to influence their decision whether or not to pursue sub speciality program, the largest proportion of students identified "financial reasons" (31; 41%) followed by "job opportunities" (16; 21%).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Pediatric residents should compulsorily be exposed to all subspecialties during their post-graduation. Adequate career guiding and exposure to various subspecialties will make the residents pursue subjects like Pediatric Nephrology, Hemato-oncology, Developmental Pediatrics and Hepatology which have less takers.
authors.affiliation: Division of Pediatric Hemato-Oncology, Department of Pediatrics, Sri Ramachandra University, Porur, Chennai, Tamil Nadu, 600116, India. drmslatha@yahoo.com.
authors.forename: Latha M
authors.initials: LM
authors.lastname: Sneha
authors.affiliation: Department of Pediatrics, Sri Ramachandra University, Porur, Chennai, Tamil Nadu, India.
authors.forename: Manipriya
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Ravindran
authors.affiliation: Department of Pediatrics, Sri Ramachandra University, Porur, Chennai, Tamil Nadu, India.
authors.forename: Rekha
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Kumar
authors.affiliation: Department of Pediatrics, Sri Ramachandra University, Porur, Chennai, Tamil Nadu, India.
authors.forename: Padmasani
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Venkatraman
authors.affiliation: Division of Pediatric Hemato-Oncology, Sri Ramachandra University, Porur, Chennai, Tamil Nadu, India.
authors.forename: Julius
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Scott
authors.affiliation: Department of Community Medicine, Sri Ramachandra University, Porur, Chennai, Tamil Nadu, India.
authors.forename: LakshmiNarayan
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Kannan
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D002321:Career Choice; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007194:India; D007396:Internship and Residency; D008297:Male; D010372:Pediatrics / Q000193:education*; D012737:Sex Factors; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires
keywords: Career intention; Pediatrics; Postgraduate students; Sub-specialty