Mehwash Kashif, Irum Munir Raja, Amna Rehman, Sana Iqbal, Mirza Hamid Baig, Abdul Aleem.
The Exploring Factors Influencing Females Decision to Pursue Medical and Dental Education in Karachi, Pakistan: a Cross-Sectional Analysis.
Pak J Med Res Jan ;62(4):163-8.

Objective: The study aims to investigate the motivations driving female medical and dental students to pursue careers as doctors. It also seeks to understand the various factors shaping their decisions and compare the perspectives of first-year and final-year students in government and private medical and dental education programs in Karachi. Study type, settings & duration: This comparative cross-sectional study was conducted at government and private institutions in Karachi from July 2022 to February 2023.   Methodology: The government and private medical and dental students of Karachi recruited by non-purposive convenience sampling. A pre-structured questionnaire with a sample size of 1550 students was used which included demographic details and factors and attitude related to the reasons behind to pursue the medical and dental education. Results: Total of 55.4% students of in public centers choose the profession because of their interest while 51.7% comply with parents' wishes. While 66% of students from private medical and dental colleges choose the profession in compliance with their parent's wishes followed by personal interest i.e. 61.8%.  Among different reasons human care holds the major proportion. There is a significant change in attitude towards the reason to pursue the medical and dental education among students of first year and final year in both public and private medical and dental colleges. Conclusion: It has been concluded that female medical and dental students are primarily motivated to acquire medical and dental education due to their personal interest and a desire to fulfill their parents' wishes.

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