PERCEPTION OF UROLOGY SPECIALTY AND FACTORS INFLUENCE ITS CONSIDERATION AS A CAREER CHOICE AMONG MEDICAL STUDENTS.

Background: Urology is a branch of medicine that deals with different diseases of the urinary tract or the reproductive organs in both men and women. It is well known that there is an increase in the number of urological diseases that are being encountered in both primary and secondary health services. The purpose of this study is to evaluate the perception and interest in urology specialty among medical students at Qassim University and provide an idea about factors influencing student's consideration of pursuing urology as a career choice.

Subject and methods: This cross-sectional study was carried out among medical students of Qassim University, Saudi Arabia. A self-administered questionnaire was distributed among the medical students and interns using paper survey. The survey comprised basic demographic characteristics (gender, academic year level), a questionnaire about the basic knowledge of urology specialty, clinical skills in urology field, and 18 items to assess the influencing factors for choosing urology specialty.

Results: Among the 223 medical students, 55.6% were males, and 23.8% considered a career in the urology specialty. Being a male, believing that males dominated the urology specialty, and a positive influence when choosing urology specialty were the factors that increased student's consideration for the urology specialty. The top influential factors for urology consideration were the use of technology in urology, integration of medicine and surgery, and career opportunities. Deterrence factors were unattractive lifestyle, lack of knowledge, and social issues.

Conclusion: One-fourth of medical students would consider urology as their future specialty. Male students who believed that males dominated urology were more likely to exhibit greater consideration for choosing a urology specialty as a future career compared to other students. Further researches are needed to address more details on the factors that affects the choose of urology as a future carrier in female students and finding a solutions to them as well as correcting misconceptions about the urologists lifestyle.