An AHP analysis on factors associated with the cancer choice of medical students of UOEH

Abstract

In order to clarify factors associated with the career choice of medical students of UOEH, and AHP (Analytic Hierarchy Process) analysis was employed for 4th year medical students in 1994 (86 students). As factors associated with career choice, the following three factors were evaluated as important in the following order; 'work worth engaging in', 'income', and 'identity as a medical doctor'. For these three major factors, the surgeon was evaluated as the most favorable, followed by the physician, the clinician of other sectors (ORL, ophthalmology, etc), the occupational physician, researcher, and medical doctors in the administration. When comparing students who wanted to be clinicians and those who wanted to be occupational physicians, the latter group attached more importance to 'stability' and scholarship.' Finally, the present AHP analyses clarified that students prefer to become clinicians regardless of their expressed preference for a future career. This fact has created for us an educational problem to be discussed in future curriculum meetings of UOEH.