Preferências de carreira entre graduandos de medicina no sudoeste da Nigéria / Career preferences of final-year medical students in south-west Nigeria

Resumo Estudantes de medicina possuem diferentes opções de trajetórias acadêmicas ou profissionais após a graduação. Este estudo busca determinar as preferências de carreira entre graduandos de medicina e os fatores que contribuem para tal decisão. Pesquisa descritiva e transversal foi realizada com graduandos de medicina da Afe Babalola University, localizada em Ekiti State, Nigéria. Dados foram coletados por um questionário bem estruturado e analisados usando SPSS versão 21.0. A estatística descritiva inclui tabelas de frequência, gráficos, médias e desvios padrão. Um total de 100 graduandos participaram do estudo, dos quais 29 (29,0%) homens e 71 (71,0%) mulheres, com relação homem/mulher de 0,4 para 1. A faixa etária dos participantes foi de 21 a 30 anos, com média (±SD) de 23,5 (±1,4). Do total de participantes, 72% planejavam ingressar na pós-graduação após a faculdade de medicina, a maioria no Reino Unido, sendo o mestrado em Saúde Pública a qualificação de maior interesse. Da mesma forma, 76% dos entrevistados planejavam buscar uma bolsa de pós-graduação após a faculdade, também em sua maioria no Reino Unido. A especialidade mais procurada é Obstetrícia e Ginecologia (43%), seguida por Cirurgia (40%), Medicina de Família (34%), Medicina Comunitária (33%), Pediatria (25%) e Medicina Interna (23%), enquanto a especialidade menos procurada é Patologia Química (28%), seguida por Microbiologia Médica (27%) e Anatomia Mórbida (24%). O principal fator considerado para esta escolha é o interesse pessoal pela especialidade, seguido por perspectivas financeiras, estilo de vida confortável e horário de trabalho flexível. Mestrado em Saúde Pública e especialização em Obstetrícia e Ginecologia são as carreiras mais buscadas por graduandos de medicina, escolha majoritariamente pautada em seus interesses pessoais.

Abstract Medical students have many different options of academic and professional undertakings after graduation. The aim of this study is to determine the career preferences of students in their final year of medical school and to determine the factors that contributed for such decision. This is a descriptive cross-sectional study involving the final-year medical students of Afe Babalola University, Ekiti State, Nigeria. A well-structured questionnaire was used for data collection. The data was analysed using the Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS) version 21.0. Descriptive statistics included frequency tables, charts, means and standard deviations. A total number of 100 final-year medical students participated in the study, out of which 29 (29.0%) were males and 71 (71.0%) were females, with a male to female ratio of 0.4 to 1. The age range of the respondents was 21 to 30 years, with a mean(±SD) of 23.5(±1.4). 72% of the respondents planned to pursue a postgraduate academic qualification after graduating from medical school, mostly in the United Kingdom, and a Master of Public Health was the most sought qualification. Similarly, 76% of the respondents planned to pursue a postgraduate medical fellowship after medical school, also mostly in the United Kingdom. The specialty most sought-after is Obstetrics and Gynaecology (43%), followed by Surgery (40%), Family Medicine (34%), Community Medicine (33%), Paediatrics (25%), and Internal Medicine (23%) while the least sought-after specialty is Chemical pathology (28%), followed by Medical Microbiology (27%) and Morbid Anatomy (24%). The most important factor considered by the respondents in choosing a particular specialty is their personal interest in that specialty, followed by financial prospects, comfortable lifestyle, and flexible working hours. Master of Public Health degree and postgraduate fellowship in Obstetrics and Gynaecology specialty are the career preferences for most of the final-year medical students in this study, and this is largely informed by their personal interest in these fields.

Spectrum of Disease Conditions Seen at the Gastroenterology Clinic of a Tertiary Health Facility in South-Western Nigeria

Background:Globally, gastrointestinal medical conditions are common and a considerable number of patients will require specialist consultation for the diagnosis, management and follow-up care.Aim:To determine the spectrum of disease conditions seen at the Gastroenterology clinic of Federal Teaching Hospital, Ido-Ekiti in south-western Nigeria. Methods:This was a retrospective cohort study of all patients who attended the Gastroenterology clinic between January 2015 and December 2019 (a period of 5 years). The Age, Gender and Diagnosis were obtained from the Clinic Register. A total of 679 patients attended the clinic over the period and they were all recruited into the study. The data obtained was analyzed using the Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS) version 21.0. Descriptive statistics used included frequency tables, means and standard deviations. Results:A total number of 679 patients attended the Gastroenterology clinic duringthe period under review out of which 353 (52.0%) were males and 326 (48.0%) were females with a male to female ratio of 1.08 to 1. The age range of the patients was 10 to 93 years with a mean(±SD) of 43.8(±16.32) and median of 40.0 years. The commonestmedical condition seen at our clinic was Chronic Hepatitis B viral infection (38.1%), followed by Acid Peptic Disorders (27.0%), Liver cirrhosis (5.2%), Non-Alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease (5.0%) and Hepatocellular carcinoma (4.1%). Hepatocellular carcinomawas the commonest malignancy seen at our clinic followed by Gastric cancer (2.5%), Colorectal cancer (1.9%) and Cholangiocarcinoma (0.7%). Pancreatic cancer and Oesophageal cancer were seen at our clinic at the same frequency (0.6% each). Primary Biliary Cirrhosis, Achalasia and Irritable Bowel Syndrome were the least frequently seen (0.1% each) medical conditions at our clinic. Acute Hepatitis B viral infection constituted 2.9% while Chronic Hepatitis C viral infection constituted 2.4% of the cases seen. The other medical conditions seen at our clinic include Alcoholic Liver Disease (2.4%), Abdominal Tuberculosis (0.7%), Toxin-induced Hepatitis (0.6%), Haemorrhoids (0.6%), Ulcerative Colitis (0.4%) and Diverticular Disease (0.3%). Conclusion:The commonest medical condition seen at our Gastroenterology clinic was Chronic Hepatitis B virus infection followed by Acid Peptic Disorders both of which are largely preventable and the commonest malignancy seen at our clinic was Hepatocellular carcinoma. Hepatitis B virus infection is highly prevalent in our environment and it is a risk factor for chronic hepatitis, liver cirrhosis and hepatocellular carcinoma. Efforts must be enhanced by all stakeholders to curb the spread of this virus and thereby limit its sequelae.