Motivation and Attitude of BDS Students and House Officers in Their Postgraduate Career Selection

Abstract

Objective: The objective of this research was to explore the motivational factors among BDS students and house officers for post graduate career selection. Study Design: Descriptive cross-sectional study. rd th Place and Duration of Study: The research was conducted from 3 October to 19 December 2022 at Lahore Medical and Dental College. Materials and Methods: A total of 226 participants (77 from third year BDS, 84 from 4 year BDS and 65 House Officers) were asked to fill a questionnaire in which the first part consisted of biodata and the second part was based on questions related to motivation of students for post-graduation and their preferred field of choice either clinical sciences or basic sciences. Descriptive statistical analysis was done and significance testing between the variables was done using chi-square test. Significance level was set at 0.05. Results: Results of the study showed a significant difference (p=0.018) between the groups in reasons for choosing dentistry as a profession where majority 51.3% were internally motivated. It was found that 61% students were motivated for post-graduation and majority (68.5%) wanted to choose clinical subjects as compared to 13.2% for basic sciences. There was significant difference between the groups (p=0.00) as a clear majority (71.6%) believed that there were not enough options for post-graduation in Pakistan and 85.3% wanted the institute to conduct seminars for career counselling (p=0.048). Conclusion: The dental students were motivated to do post-graduation out of which a clear majority opted to pursue clinical studies. The students wanted the institute to conduct career counselling sessions to help them plan their career choices