Is COVID-19 perceived as a threat to equal career opportunities amongst Swiss medical students? A cross-sectional survey study from Bern and Geneva.

Introduction: Students frequently rely on part-time jobs to earn a living wage. We sought to evaluate the sociodemographic status of Swiss medical students and their perception regarding equal career opportunities in view of impaired part-time job opportunities under the COVID-19 pandemic.

Methods: We conducted an anonymous online survey among Swiss medical students from Bern and Geneva over a period of 4 months between December 2020 and April 2021. We evaluated sociodemographic data, current living situation, part-time job occupation as well as other sources of income to fund living expenses, and, by means of a five-point Likert scale (1=strongly disagree and 5=strongly agree), whether COVID-19 was perceived as impeding equal career opportunities.

Results: Of 968 participants, corresponding to around 13.8% of all medical students in Switzerland, 81.3% had part-time jobs. Amongst the employed, 54.8% worked to afford living expenses and 28.9% reported a negative financial impact due to reduced part-time jobs under the pandemic. The loss of part-time jobs was perceived to make medical studies a privilege for students with higher socioeconomic status (4.11±1.0), whose opportunity to study is independent of a regular income. A governmental backup plan was considered crucial to support affected students (4.22±0.91).

Discussion: COVID-19 and its sequelae are perceived as a threat for Swiss medical students and lead to a disadvantage for those with lower socioeconomic status. Nationwide measures should be established to foster equal career opportunities.