Anaesthesia as a career choice in a developing country; Effect of clinical clerkship

Objective: to explore the fourth year medical student's knowledge regarding anaesthesia as a specialty, their attitude towards anaesthesia as a career choice and the effect of clinical clerkship on these. methods: this survey was conducted in the department of anaesthesia of a university medical centre in a developing country. one hundred and fifty year four medical students rotating in anaesthesia were enrolled. they were asked to fill a structured questionnaire before (pre) and after (post) their anaesthesia rotation. the questionnaire sought information on their perception of anaesthesia as a specialty, role of anaesthetists, clerkship duration, and reasons for considering or not considering anaesthesia. results: prior to anaesthesia clerkship 12 students (8%) included anaesthesia in their first three career choices (2 as first preference). post clerkship 36 (24%) included it in their first 3 career choices (3 as first preference). there was a change in perception of specialty for 57 participants. conclusion: the findings support the positive influence of anaesthesia clerkship on changing the attitude of medical students towards anaesthesia specialty in a developing country with shortage of anaesthesia personnel.