Global Health Career Interest among Medical and Nursing Students: Survey and Analysis

Abstract

BackgroundGlobal health experiences undertaken in international settings (GHEs) are becoming an increasingly prevalent aspect of health professions education and, as such, merit comprehensive analysis of the impact they have on students and host communities.ObjectiveTo assess the associations between demographic/experiential factors and the interest of health professions students in careers involving global health.MethodsA cross-sectional survey was administered online to a convenience sample of medical and nursing students at Johns Hopkins University. Questions addressed level of interest in a global health career, prior GHEs, and demographic information. Items were either Likert scale or multiple choice. Various regression analyses were performed.FindingsOf 510 respondents, 312 (61.2%) expressed interest in a global health career and 285 (55.9%) had prior GHEs. Multivariate logistic regression found female sex, age ≥27 years, household income ConclusionsSimply participating in a global health experience abroad is not significantly associated with interest in a global health career. However, sex, age, household income, and research-related GHEs are significantly associated with global health career interest. These findings may inform the development of global health programs at medical and nursing schools and can guide efforts to increase the number of health care professionals entering global health careers.

Keywords

• career selection
• global health
• global health training
• health care training
• international experiences
• medical education
• medical student
• nursing student