Muhammad Ziaur Rehman, Zaffar Iqbal Malik, Tariq Hussain.
Teaching Anatomy as a Career Option in View of Medical Students in Pakistan.
Pak J Med Health Sci Jan ;6(4):1016-9.

Medical doctors are an important source of anatomy teachers. The aim of this study was to find out the choice of anatomy as a career option among medical students in Pakistan. Five hundred medical students were questioned concerning their views on anatomy as a subject and future career decision. A questionnaire with 17 statements was given to these students and their answers were compiled. The outcome of this study was encouraging. 85.6% of students considered anatomy as a necessary pillar of medical sciences. A vast majority (77.2%) felt that a sound knowledge of anatomy helped them in their clinical rotations in hospitals. However, more than half considered anatomy as difficult to understand and about half disagreed with the question that the two years duration of teaching anatomy is quite adequate. Though 85% placed anatomy at par with clinical subjects, only few liked to take up anatomy as a career in the future. In Pakistan, the lack of both job opportunities and sufficient research facilities confines the uptake of anatomy as a career option. Even with a modified syllabus only one third were willing to become an anatomist.

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