Abstract:

Background and Objective:
Despite the abundance of medical students, there is always a deficit of some medical specialists in Kazakhstan. Current medical students are future workers of healthcare system. The objective of this study is to define the less attractive for medical students specialties that can be considered as deficit specialties in the future.

Methods:
The study was designed as a cross-sectional survey. A total 80 students of second, third and fourth years (2014/2015 academic year) at Kazakh National Medical University filled in the paper-based questionnaire which covered specialty preferences and influencing factors. Students were asked to choose 3 less attractive specialties from given 20.

Results:
Among students of all selected years the least attractive specialties were radiology (frequency is 10.6%), urology (8.5%) and therapy (8.1%). The frequency of specialties as obstetrics and gyneacology, paediatrics, psychiatry, sports medicine, orthopedy, family medicine were 6.0-7.2%. The students of second year considered specialties of radiology (12.5%), orthopedy (10.6%), urology (10.6%) as less attractive; third year - obstetrics and gyneacology (11.7%), therapy (10.4%), paediatrics (10.4%); fourth year – dermatology (11.1%), psychiatry (14.8%), radiology (13.0%). In comparison with female students, male students defined obstetrics and gyneacology (12.7%), paediatrics (8.5%) and family medicine(8.5%) less attractive. For the students who considered radiology, urology and therapy as less attractive specialties the main factors in the choice of future profession were “perspective to develop”, “absence of stress during workday” and “enjoy working”.

Conclusions:
Most of the students considered radiology, urology and therapy as specialties without perspective to develop, with high stressful factors, consequently, they cannot enjoy working in these areas. The results have given us ability to expect the deficit of dermatology, psychiatry specialists in 2019; obstetrics and gyneacology, paediatrics specialists in 2020; orthopedy specialists in 2021; and in general, in 2019-2022 years the deficit of radiology, urology, therapy specialists in Kazakhstan.

Keywords:

Medical education, specialty choice, less attractive medical specialties.