Assessment of Factors and Deterrents Influencing Medical Students in Pursuing a Career in Surgical Disciplines: Gender-Based Perceptions From a Teaching Hospital in India.
Yashjot Kaur, Ambreen Deol, Sanjeev Mahajan, Kamal Jyoti
{"title":"Assessment of Factors and Deterrents Influencing Medical Students in Pursuing a Career in Surgical Disciplines: Gender-Based Perceptions From a Teaching Hospital in India.","authors":"Yashjot Kaur, Ambreen Deol, Sanjeev Mahajan, Kamal Jyoti","doi":"10.1177/00031348251337153","DOIUrl":null,"url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>IntroductionGender disparity within the health care profession, specifically in surgical fields, continues to be a subject of discussion. Understanding these gender-specific determinants is key to fostering inclusivity in surgery. This study investigates gender-related perspectives on pursuing a career in surgical disciplines and assessess the perceived challenges among medical students in India.MethodsA cross-sectional survey was conducted at a teaching hospital. Third through fifth-year medical students were invited to fill a semi-structured questionnaire investigating career preferences and the influencing factors. The data was collected through a survey and analyzed. Likert-scale type responses and open-ended questions were analyzed separately. Appropriate statistical tests were used to compare the gender-based responses.Results231 complete responses were analyzed. Of these, 61.5% were females. Interest in pursuing surgery was found to be similar in both genders (<i>P</i> = .61). Both male and female students cited concerns about work-life balance as the major factor (41.6%) influencing their interest in pursuing surgery, followed by personal interest in anatomy and surgical techniques (39%), and exposure to surgical procedures (36.4%). Female students perceived limited opportunities in surgical training (M = 7.8%, F = 21.1%, <i>P</i> = .007) and gender bias in surgical disciplines (M = 34.8%, F = 50%, <i>P</i> = .02) as a significant challenge as compared to their male counterparts. Approximately 1/3rd females reported a lack of female surgical role models.ConclusionThis comprehensive analysis illuminates the evolving gender dynamics in a developing nation, reflecting a burgeoning interest in surgical specialties among female students. Creating targeted training opportunities and gender-conducive environments for female students can catalyze this positive shift.</p>","PeriodicalId":7782,"journal":{"name":"American Surgeon","volume":" ","pages":"1303-1309"},"PeriodicalIF":1.0000,"publicationDate":"2025-08-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":"0","resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":null,"PeriodicalName":"American Surgeon","FirstCategoryId":"3","ListUrlMain":"https://doi.org/10.1177/00031348251337153","RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":null,"EPubDate":"2025/4/24 0:00:00","PubModel":"Epub","JCR":"Q3","JCRName":"SURGERY","Score":null,"Total":0}
引用次数: 0
Abstract
IntroductionGender disparity within the health care profession, specifically in surgical fields, continues to be a subject of discussion. Understanding these gender-specific determinants is key to fostering inclusivity in surgery. This study investigates gender-related perspectives on pursuing a career in surgical disciplines and assessess the perceived challenges among medical students in India.MethodsA cross-sectional survey was conducted at a teaching hospital. Third through fifth-year medical students were invited to fill a semi-structured questionnaire investigating career preferences and the influencing factors. The data was collected through a survey and analyzed. Likert-scale type responses and open-ended questions were analyzed separately. Appropriate statistical tests were used to compare the gender-based responses.Results231 complete responses were analyzed. Of these, 61.5% were females. Interest in pursuing surgery was found to be similar in both genders (P = .61). Both male and female students cited concerns about work-life balance as the major factor (41.6%) influencing their interest in pursuing surgery, followed by personal interest in anatomy and surgical techniques (39%), and exposure to surgical procedures (36.4%). Female students perceived limited opportunities in surgical training (M = 7.8%, F = 21.1%, P = .007) and gender bias in surgical disciplines (M = 34.8%, F = 50%, P = .02) as a significant challenge as compared to their male counterparts. Approximately 1/3rd females reported a lack of female surgical role models.ConclusionThis comprehensive analysis illuminates the evolving gender dynamics in a developing nation, reflecting a burgeoning interest in surgical specialties among female students. Creating targeted training opportunities and gender-conducive environments for female students can catalyze this positive shift.
在医疗保健行业，特别是在外科领域，性别差异仍然是一个讨论的主题。了解这些特定性别的决定因素是促进外科包容性的关键。本研究调查了在外科学科中追求职业生涯的性别相关观点，并评估了印度医学生所面临的挑战。方法对某教学医院进行横断面调查。本研究邀请三至五年级医学生填写半结构化的职业偏好及影响因素问卷。这些数据是通过调查收集和分析的。李克特量表型回答和开放式问题分别进行分析。采用适当的统计检验来比较基于性别的答复。结果共分析了231例完整应答。其中，61.5%是女性。两性对手术的兴趣相似（P = 0.61）。男女学生都表示，对工作与生活平衡的担忧是影响他们选择外科专业的主要因素（41.6%），其次是对解剖学和外科技术的个人兴趣（39%），以及对外科手术的接触（36.4%）。与男同学相比，女同学认为外科培训机会有限（M = 7.8%, F = 21.1%, P = .007）和外科学科性别偏见（M = 34.8%, F = 50%, P = .02）是重大挑战。大约三分之一的女性报告缺乏女性外科榜样。结论：这一综合分析阐明了发展中国家不断变化的性别动态，反映了女学生对外科专业的兴趣日益浓厚。为女学生创造有针对性的培训机会和有利于性别平等的环境可以促进这一积极转变。
期刊介绍：
The American Surgeon is a monthly peer-reviewed publication published by the Southeastern Surgical Congress. Its area of concentration is clinical general surgery, as defined by the content areas of the American Board of Surgery: alimentary tract (including bariatric surgery), abdomen and its contents, breast, skin and soft tissue, endocrine system, solid organ transplantation, pediatric surgery, surgical critical care, surgical oncology (including head and neck surgery), trauma and emergency surgery, and vascular surgery.
求助内容：
应助结果提醒方式：
京公网安备 11010802042870号
