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COVID-19 outbreak improves attractiveness of medical careers in Chinese senior high school students.
Zhang, Ruoxin; Pei, Jianfeng; Wang, Yanli; Wang, Lei; Yeerjiang, Yeerzhati; Gao, Haifeng; Xu, Wanghong.
  • Zhang R; Department of Epidemiology, Key Lab of Health Technology Assessment (National Health Commission), Key Laboratory of Public Health Safety, Ministry of Education, School of Public Health, Fudan University, 138 Yi Xue Yuan Road, Shanghai, 200032, China.
  • Pei J; Department of Epidemiology, Key Lab of Health Technology Assessment (National Health Commission), Key Laboratory of Public Health Safety, Ministry of Education, School of Public Health, Fudan University, 138 Yi Xue Yuan Road, Shanghai, 200032, China.
  • Wang Y; Wuhan No.4 High School, 347 Jie Fang Avenue, Wuhan, 430022, Hubei Province, China.
  • Wang L; Department of Epidemiology, Key Lab of Health Technology Assessment (National Health Commission), Key Laboratory of Public Health Safety, Ministry of Education, School of Public Health, Fudan University, 138 Yi Xue Yuan Road, Shanghai, 200032, China.
  • Yeerjiang Y; Department of Epidemiology, Key Lab of Health Technology Assessment (National Health Commission), Key Laboratory of Public Health Safety, Ministry of Education, School of Public Health, Fudan University, 138 Yi Xue Yuan Road, Shanghai, 200032, China.
  • Gao H; Admissions Office, Shanghai Medical College of Fudan University, 138 Yi Xue Yuan Road, Shanghai, 200032, China.
  • Xu W; Department of Epidemiology, Key Lab of Health Technology Assessment (National Health Commission), Key Laboratory of Public Health Safety, Ministry of Education, School of Public Health, Fudan University, 138 Yi Xue Yuan Road, Shanghai, 200032, China. wanghong.xu@fudan.edu.cn.
BMC Med Educ ; 22(1): 241, 2022 Apr 04.
Article in English | MEDLINE | ID: covidwho-1775320
ABSTRACT

BACKGROUND:

The shortage of healthcare workers is becoming a serious global problem. The underlying reasons may be specific to the healthcare system in each country. Over the past decade, medicine has become an increasingly unpopular profession in China due to the heavy workload, long-term training, and inherent risks. The ongoing COVID-19 pandemic has placed the life-saving roles of healthcare professionals under the spotlight. This public health crisis may have a profound impact on career choices in Chinese population.

METHODS:

We conducted a questionnaire-based online survey among 21,085 senior high school students and 21,009 parents from 24 provinces (or municipalities) of China. We investigated the change of interest in medical study due to the outbreak of COVID-19 and the potential motivational factors based on the expectancy-value theory framework. Pearson correlation analysis was used to assess the correlation of static or dynamic interest in medical career pursuit with the reported number of COVID-19 cases. Logistic regression model was adopted to analyze the main factors associated with students' choices.

RESULTS:

We observed an increased preference for medical study post the outbreak of COVID-19 in both students (17.5 to 29.6%) and parents (37.1 to 47.3%). Attainment value was found to be the main reason for the choice among students, with the contribution to society rated as the top motivation. On the other hand, the predominant demotivation in high school students was lack of interest, followed by concerns regarding violence against doctors, heavy workload, long-term training and heavy responsibility as a doctor. Additionally, students who were female, in the resit of final year, had highly educated parents and outside of Hubei province were significantly associated with a keen interest in pursuing medical study.

CONCLUSIONS:

This is the first multi-center cross-sectional study exploring the positive change and motivations of students' preferences in medical study due to the outbreak of COVID-19. Our results may help medical educators, researchers and policymakers to restructure medical education to make it more appealing to high school students, particularly, to develop a more supportive social and working environment for medical professionals to maintain the observed enhanced enthusiasm.
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Full text: Available Collection: International databases Database: MEDLINE Main subject: Students, Medical / COVID-19 Type of study: Observational study / Prognostic study / Randomized controlled trials Limits: Female / Humans Language: English Journal: BMC Med Educ Journal subject: Education Year: 2022 Document Type: Article Affiliation country: S12909-022-03309-7

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Full text: Available Collection: International databases Database: MEDLINE Main subject: Students, Medical / COVID-19 Type of study: Observational study / Prognostic study / Randomized controlled trials Limits: Female / Humans Language: English Journal: BMC Med Educ Journal subject: Education Year: 2022 Document Type: Article Affiliation country: S12909-022-03309-7