Status of Otorhinolaryngology as Specialty of Choice Among Female Medical Graduates

Specialty choices among medical graduates have undergone changes over time. We aimed to analyze status of otorhinolaryngology as specialty of choice among female medical graduates and factors affecting it. A total of 123 female medical graduates were surveyed during their internship over a period of 1 year in a tertiary-care hospital. Each intern was assessed using a questionnaire at the end of otorhinolaryngology rotation. The survey included nine questions about future career choices with special focus on ENT as a choice for specialization. Questions on choice of specialty, reason for choice, quality of undergraduate teaching and clinical postings were included. The post graduation specialty choices in descending order are Medicine, Pediatrics, Surgery, Obstetrics and Gynecology, Dermatology, Ophthalmology, Radiology, ENT, Anesthesia, Psychiatry followed by Physiology, Anatomy and Biochemistry. Among surgical branches most popular choice was General Surgery followed by Obstetrics and Gynecology, Ophthalmology, ENT and Orthopedics in descending order. Reason for the choice included advice from family and friends. Forty two interns (34.2%) followed advice of senior colleagues, 42 (34.2%) followed advice of relatives in the medical field, 25 (20.3%) took advice of non-medico parents while 14 (11.3%) followed their peer group. Regarding the opinion on the quality of undergraduate teaching and clinical postings, both were rated good by the majority. Otorhinolaryngology is less preferred than other general surgery, Obstetrics and Gynecology and ophthalmology by female medical graduates among surgical disciplines. Possible reasons and ways to improve status of Otorhinolaryngology are discussed.