Future perspectives of medical students in Bahia State: A cross-sectional study

Abstract

Introduction: Between 2013-2022, there was a 103% increase in medical school vacancies. From 2003-2023, the growth of public colleges corresponded to 64%, while for private colleges it corresponded to 358%. This rapid growth compromised the quality of the courses, so that 92% of the colleges do not meet the requirements of the Federal Council of Medicine. Objective: To describe the profile of medical students in Bahia regarding general characteristics, future perspectives for practicing the profession and characteristics regarding quality of life. Compare the profile of students from public and private universities.  Method: This study consisted of applying an online, self-administered questionnaire to 165 medical students from Bahia. Qualitative variables were analyzed by the Chi-Square Test (X²) and quantitative variables by the Mann-Whitney Test or Student's T-Test according to data normality and presented in tables. Results: Women report a predominance of availability to work in primary and secondary care and men for tertiary care. Of the students, 76.2% indicate that they do not have time for non-academic activities. In addition, students from public colleges have lower quality of sleep compared to private colleges and lower satisfaction with the course. Conclusion: There is a preference for women to work in primary and secondary care and for men to work in tertiary care. In addition, there is a lower quality of life for students at public universities, which may be related to lower satisfaction with the course.