Strides in Development of Medical Education (Jan 2008)
Career Status of Medical Graduates between 2001 and 2007 from Kerman University of Medical Sciences
Abstract
Background & Objective : Expensive medical educational cost long term education and difficult lessons all support this evidence that with unemployment of medical graduates in professional activities much national stock will be used vainly Due to lack of enough knowledge and documents about medical graduates career activities this study was conducted in order to evaluate their career status Methods : In a retrospective cohort study all 528 medical graduates who were graduated between 2001and 2007 from Kerman University of Medical Sciences were studied Necessary data latest career and educational status of medical graduates were collected by direct and indirect phone interviews In order to determine the impact of effective factors on career status and residency exam acceptance Logistic Regression and Survival analyses were applied Results : The access rate to graduates was 86% At least three years after graduation 62% of medical graduates were engaged in medical careers which were mostly in clinics military or social services personal offices and clinical specialties Among all subjects 40 persons (76%) were jobless and almost the same rate was doing non medical jobs Eighteen percent were engaged in working or studying in clinical specialties and others had left Iran Survival analysis showed that female physicians were employed faster and more in medical professions (median for female and male were 38 & 45 years respectively P=0009) Women were more successful than men in professional careers (12%) and residency exam acceptance (17%) which were not statically significant Mean score during education was effective factor on residency exam acceptance Conclusion : It seems that almost 20% of medical graduates in Kerman City were not employed in careers related to their education in long term prospect (more than three years after graduation) or left the country It is important to consider causes of male physicians failure in comparison with female physicians while there is a great need to male physicians services low income can somehow explain it
