RESUMO

INTRODUCTION: Previous research has explored the effect of motivations, incentives and working conditions on willingness to accept jobs in rural and remote areas. These studies demonstrated that difficult working conditions, low job satisfaction and remuneration, and poor security, predisposed new medical graduates to select cities instead of rural districts. Since Argentina has a critical shortage of health staff in rural and low-income marginal suburban settings, and limited qualitative and quantitative local research has been done to address this issue, the present study was developed to assess the factors associated with the willingness of medical students to work in low-resource underprivileged areas of the country after graduation. METHODS: A cross-sectional descriptive design was used with data collected from a self-administered questionnaire and using quantitative analysis methods. A total of 400 eligible second-year medical students were invited to participate in a survey focused on sociodemographic characteristics, incentives and working conditions expected in deprived areas, extrinsic and intrinsic motivations, university medical education and government promotion policies. RESULTS: Twenty-one per cent of medical students showed a strong willingness to work in a deprived area, 57.3% manifested weak willingness and 21.5% unwillingness to work in a low-resource setting. Being female, of older age, not having a university-trained professional parent, previous exposure or service in a poor area, choice of pediatrics as a specialty and strong altruistic motivations were highly associated with the willingness to practice medicine in rural or underprivileged areas. Only 21.5% of respondents considered that medical schools encourage the practice of medicine in poor deprived regions. Likewise, only 6.2% of students considered that national public health authorities suitably stimulate physician distribution in poorer districts. CONCLUSIONS: One-third of students expressed high altruistic motivations and should therefore be encouraged during their careers. Better remuneration and the assurance of a position at an urban hospital in the future may tip the choice in favor of underprivileged regions. Since most respondents said that neither government nor medical schools sufficiently encourage the practice of medicine in poor deprived regions, government policy-makers should recommend changes in resource allocation to better promote official proposals and opportunities to work.

Assuntos

Escolha da Profissão , Área Carente de Assistência Médica , Serviços de Saúde Rural , Estudantes de Medicina/psicologia , Inquéritos e Questionários , Argentina , Atitude do Pessoal de Saúde , Estudos Transversais , Educação de Graduação em Medicina , Feminino , Humanos , Masculino , Motivação , Área de Atuação Profissional , Estudantes de Medicina/estatística & dados numéricos , Recursos Humanos , Adulto Jovem

RESUMO

El objetivo fue identificar los factores asociados al éxito académico de los estudiantes de medicina distinguidos con diploma de honor por la Universidad de Buenos Aires. En 2011 se aplicó un cuestionario a 142 graduados con esta distinción en el 2006 que incluyó 59 preguntas sobre aspectos sociodemográficos, condiciones de vida e integración social, motivación para el estudio, capacidad de aprendizaje y estado de salud durante la carrera. En comparación con los demás alumnos, los exitosos habitaban más frecuentemente en la ciudad, provenían de escuelas medias privadas o universitarias, tenían menor necesidad de trabajar para financiarse, casi todos eran solteros y sin hijos, una proporción mayor vivía lejos de su familia, tenían más progenitores profesionales y eran financiados por ellos; nunca consideraron la salida laboral para elegir la carrera, para ellos era importante alcanzar el éxito y éste dependía principalmente del esfuerzo propio; solían manejar la ansiedad, eran sociables aunque independientes y preferían la experiencia concreta a la conceptualización abstracta para adquirir información. Con el actual sistema de ingreso, estos resultados sirven para cuantificar los mecanismos latentes de autoselección durante la carrera o en un régimen restrictivo, para seleccionar los candidatos a alcanzar el éxito académico. El análisis de los factores demográficos indica algún grado de inequidad para los estudiantes menos favorecidos socialmente. Quizás, un sistema de ingreso basado solo en las capacidades intelectuales, ayudaría a individualizar y apoyar a los mejores candidatos, independientemente de su contexto social.

---

The aim of this study was to identify common factors relating to the academic success of medical students who were distinguished with honors at the Buenos Aires University. In 2011, 142 graduates were surveyed; the questionnaire included 59 questions on their sociodemographic environment, living conditions and social integration, motivation to study, learning capacity and health quality during their career. Compared to other students, these distinguished students more often lived in the city, far from their families; had been educated at private or universitary high schools, their economic needs were financed by their parents, who were on the whole professionals. Most of them were single and childless. The possibility of future employment oportunities (work) did not influence their choice of a medical career, academic success was important to them and they believed that success depended largely on personal effort; they knew how to handle anxiety, were sociable but independent and preferred solid experience to abstract conceptuality in order to obtain information. Our conclusion, within the current system of candidate selection, these results serve to calculate the covert self-selection mechanisms during the career, or in a more restrictive regime, to select those likely to reach academic success due to their privileged ambience. The analysis of demographic factors indicates some degree of inequality for socially disadvantaged students. Perhaps, a selection system based only on intellectual abilities would help identify and support the best candidates regardless of their social context.

Assuntos

Adulto , Feminino , Humanos , Masculino , Logro , Educação Médica/estatística & dados numéricos , Estudantes de Medicina/psicologia , Argentina , Aspirações Psicológicas , Ansiedade/prevenção & controle , Nível de Saúde , Vida Independente/estatística & dados numéricos , Aprendizagem , Motivação , Habilidades Sociais , Inquéritos e Questionários , Condições Sociais/estatística & dados numéricos , Universidades

RESUMO

The aim of this study was to identify common factors relating to the academic success of medical students who were distinguished with honors at the Buenos Aires University. In 2011, 142 graduates were surveyed; the questionnaire included 59 questions on their sociodemographic environment, living conditions and social integration, motivation to study, learning capacity and health quality during their career. Compared to other students, these distinguished students more often lived in the city, far from their families; had been educated at private or universitary high schools, their economic needs were financed by their parents, who were on the whole professionals. Most of them were single and childless. The possibility of future employment oportunities (work) did not influence their choice of a medical career, academic success was important to them and they believed that success depended largely on personal effort; they knew how to handle anxiety, were sociable but independent and preferred solid experience to abstract conceptuality in order to obtain information. Our conclusion, within the current system of candidate selection, these results serve to calculate the covert self-selection mechanisms during the career, or in a more restrictive regime, to select those likely to reach academic success due to their privileged ambience. The analysis of demographic factors indicates some degree of inequality for socially disadvantaged students. Perhaps, a selection system based only on intellectual abilities would help identify and support the best candidates regardless of their social context.

Assuntos

Logro , Educação Médica/estatística & dados numéricos , Estudantes de Medicina/psicologia , Adulto , Ansiedade/prevenção & controle , Argentina , Aspirações Psicológicas , Feminino , Nível de Saúde , Humanos , Vida Independente/estatística & dados numéricos , Aprendizagem , Masculino , Motivação , Condições Sociais/estatística & dados numéricos , Habilidades Sociais , Inquéritos e Questionários , Universidades

RESUMO

The aim of this study was to identify common factors relating to the academic success of medical students who were distinguished with honors at the Buenos Aires University. In 2011, 142 graduates were surveyed; the questionnaire included 59 questions on their sociodemographic environment, living conditions and social integration, motivation to study, learning capacity and health quality during their career. Compared to other students, these distinguished students more often lived in the city, far from their families; had been educated at private or universitary high schools, their economic needs were financed by their parents, who were on the whole professionals. Most of them were single and childless. The possibility of future employment oportunities (work) did not influence their choice of a medical career, academic success was important to them and they believed that success depended largely on personal effort; they knew how to handle anxiety, were sociable but independent and preferred solid experience to abstract conceptuality in order to obtain information. Our conclusion, within the current system of candidate selection, these results serve to calculate the covert self-selection mechanisms during the career, or in a more restrictive regime, to select those likely to reach academic success due to their privileged ambience. The analysis of demographic factors indicates some degree of inequality for socially disadvantaged students. Perhaps, a selection system based only on intellectual abilities would help identify and support the best candidates regardless of their social context.