Abstract :
Internship in India is a crucial step in the career of a doctor. It comprises of long working hours and stressful environment with huge pressure of impending PG entrance exam which is conducted right after the internship programme.
A descriptive cross sectional study was conducted among 89 interns of a tertiary care teaching hospital with the help of a semi-structured proforma and focused group discussions to find out the factors that are help in choosing the specialty preference. Data analysis was done by Epi Info Version 7.
Results show that male interns prefer to pursue post-graduation in the branches of Medicine & Surgery, whilst females preferred Obstetrics & Pediatrics. Factors like personal interest; financially rewarding, job availability and specialty reputation were found to influence the specialty preference. Rural practice was not preferred due to lack of infrastructure, lower income & family problems. PG entrance exam was found to be a major distraction during internship leading to inadequate development of clinical skills.
It is challenging task to review and update the internship programme and PG Entrance Exam but changes must be brought with the highest priority.
Keyword :
Speciality preference, Internship, Medical interns, Compulsory rotatory internship programme (CRIP)