Demographics and motives of medical school applicants in Croatia

Abstract

Background: According to data regarding number of physicians per 100 000 inhabitants, Croatia is below the European average. Under those circumstances, more attention needs to be devoted to Croatian medical schools and their applicants. Aims: This study sought to investigate admission trends of applicants to Croatian medical schools, analyse their demographics and motives for medical school enrollment. Methods: We collected admissions data of applicants to Croatian medical schools from 1979 to 2006. Motives for and against medical school enrollment were assessed in a survey of 1146 applicants (response rate 84%, 966/1146) and 98 final-year medical students (response rate 82%, 80/98) during July 2006. Results: The number of applicants to Croatian medical schools had been declining until 1995, it was lowest during the 1991-1995 war in Croatia and it has been rising from 1996 onwards. Majority of applicants in 2006/07 were women (69%). Most of the applicants attended general high schools. The applicants profess choosing a certain medical school for its quality and reputation, but we showed that they actually chose the closest school. The main motives for medical school enrollment were humanitarian and scientific, while main reasons against were perceived difficulty and financial burden. We showed that final-year medical students profess significantly lower interest in science and that they are less interested in altruistic aspects of medicine. Instead, great number of them would reconsider choosing medical studies again because of the corruption in medicine, fear of mistakes and uncertainty of employment. Conclusions: Following the admission trends in medical schools on a national level gives insight into the prospects of health care. Analysis of motives for and against medical school enrollment can provide guidelines for their improvement. Unless Croatia and other countries in transition devote more attention to recruitment, education and retention of physicians, the prospects of our healthcare are poor.

The medical career choice motivations — Results from a Hungarian study

“…The motivation for scientific and educational activities also appeared among the medical students [20]. The motivation for scientific activities is higher among the first-year students, than the final-years students, which are corresponding with our results [21]. We are aware that the interest in controllable lifestyle specialisations showed also an increasing tendency in Croatia.…”

Predictors of Attrition and Academic Success of Medical Students: A 30-Year Retrospective Study

“…In our recent nation-wide study, applicants to medical schools in Croatia indicated that their choice of a medical school was mostly based on the quality of school and its reputation; however, when we compared in which city they live and what school they choose, it turned out that majority of the respondents chose the geographically closest school [9].…”

Turning Croatian Science into Policy

“…This section would have several purposes as follows: (i) to nurture scientist-citizens who can participate effectively in discussions about issues in science and society; (ii) to increase dialogue between scientists, the public, and policymakers, (iii) to promote multidisciplinary interaction among scholars in our community about complex science policy problems, and (iv) to expand public understanding of science. This section could harbor articles similar to the recent editorial by Petrovečki et al (1) or to the two recently published articles by our group (4,5). When the discussions about science policy are published in a peer-reviewed journal, they assume a higher level of importance and significance.…”