Perception of final-year medical students about choice of anaesthesia as a specialty

In Nigeria there has been a gradual but definite increase in the number of trained Anaesthetists. This increase however does not seem to be commensurate with the increasing numbers of other surgical specialists and specialties and the increasing population of the country. We set out to study the factors affecting the choice of Anaesthesia as a specialty and the perceived hindrances if any, to the study of Anaesthesia at postgraduate level.

A questionnaire-based study was conducted among Final-year Medical Students of the Ahmadu Bello University Zaria. The data was analyzed using the SPSS Package.

Ninety (90) students out of One Hundred (100) randomly selected students responded to the questionnaire in a class of Three Hundred and Forty-two (342). Of the 90, only eighty-eight (88) were available for analysis. Seven (7) students (8%), did not want to specialize at all after graduation, while eighty-one (81) (92%), were willing to specialize, of which, 16 students (18.2%), indicated willingness to specialize in Anaesthesia. The presence of Nurse Anaesthetists, and non-lucrativeness were some of the perceived hindrances.

It behoves all stakeholders who depend on the practice of Anaesthesia, to improve the profile and change the misconceptions about Anaesthesia. More emphasis should be placed on the training of doctors in anaesthesia rather than nurses while we develop the various sub-specialties in Anaesthesia.