Internal Medicine as a Career Choice among Rotatory Interns in a Developing Country- A Multi Centre Study

There is shortage of medical manpower including internists in Nigeria. Young interns prefer certain specialties to the neglect of others. This creates a gap in health care delivery.

Objectives: The aim of the study was to determine the rate of selection of internal medicine as a career choice and the factors influencing career choice among rotatory interns in three (3) tertiary institutions in Nigeria namely Benue State University Teaching Hospital, Makurdi, University of Abuja Teaching Hospital, Gwagwalada, Abuja and Federal Medical Centre, Makurdi.

Methods: This was a cross sectional questionnaire based study conducted using pre-validated self administered questionnaire among rotatory interns from 3 tertiary hospitals in Nigeria.

Results: A total of 110 interns responded (81 males and 29 females) out of 130 giving a response rate of 84.6%. The popular choices among the interns were surgery 28(25.5%), obstetrics and gynaecology 28 (25.5%), paediatrics 18 (16.4%) and internal medicine 14(12.7%). The factors which influenced career choice among interns enrolled in the study included personal interest, job satisfaction/opportunities, personal convenience and role model.

Conclusion: Fourteen (12.7%) interns that enrolled in the study indicated interest in internal medicine specialization. This is not very encouraging and implies that there is need for improvement of training facilities and method of teaching so that more interns will develop a liking for internal medicine.