ABSTRACT
Background: In 2007 Faculty of Medicine (FOM), King Abdulaziz University (KAU) reoriented the medical curriculum and integrated professionalism. This study was conducted to assess the perception of professionalism attitudes by medical graduates who graduated from the new curriculum that incorporated the professionalism module and compare it to those who did not. Methods: This cross sectional study was conducted at the teaching hospital of the FOM, KAU using a modified version of the well-constructed questionnaire designed to assess the student’s attitudes toward professionalism was distributed to all interns in the academic year of 2013-2014. Statistical analysis was carried out using Statistical Package of Social Science (SPSS) version 16. Results: Higher mean scores with significant differences in all aspects of professionalism were observed in interns graduated from the new curriculum when compared to those of the old one and was previously reported by Eldeek et al., (2012). The importance of adhering to high ethical and moral behavior and the need of humanity in the efficacy of the medical practice were the most significant attributes with effect size of 0.64 and 0.58 respectively. Studying in the clinical years represented the first helpful source of the participant to develop their perception about professionalism. Conclusion: The new developed curriculum at the FOM succeeded to improve the graduate perception about professionalism.
ABSTRACT
Background: In the field of medicine, specialty selection is a life-altering decision that plays a crucial role in career satisfaction, and in turn patient-care. This study explores the significant factors affecting specialty selection satisfaction and regret from the perspective of medical postgraduates and faculty in King Abdulaziz University (KAU). Methods: A cross sectional study was carried out on a sample of 172 medical school postgraduates and faculty working at KAU using self-administered questionnaire. Results: The majority of the participants were residents (51.7%), The analysis showed that 11% of the participants regret their choice of specialty. The results showed that the level of satisfaction increases as the academic degree of the participants increase. Among the significant factors affected specialty selection satisfaction and regret were; income (P = 0.003), long length of training (P = 0.027), vast options of sub-specialties (P = 0.001) and interesting and exciting field. Conclusion: These results identify the essential factors that have a potential impact on specialty satisfaction and regret among medical school postgraduates and faculty. This highlights the importance of career counseling for the proper specialty selection.