The Impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic on the Career Choice of Medicine

May 17, 2022 updated by: Sarah Nadeem, Aga Khan University

The Impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic on the Career Choice of Medicine: A Cross-Sectional Study Amongst Pre-Medical Students in Pakistan

The aim of this study is to determine what impact the COVID-19 pandemic may have had on the choices of high school students to pursue medicine as a career.

Study Overview

Status

Completed

Conditions

Intervention / Treatment

Detailed Description

The COVID-19 pandemic poses an unprecedented global health crisis that has affected healthcare systems around the world. Those working in the health sector are at the forefront of this pandemic and naturally have been deeply impacted by it. Health care workers are at risk of serious physical exhaustion owing to long shifts, a major increase in workload and working under high-stress conditions. Shortage of Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) in many hospitals carries a serious health risk for not only healthcare workers but their families and patients as well. In addition to the physical toll that the pandemic has taken on doctors and other healthcare professionals, it has also affected their mental health deeply with an increase in anxiety and depression. Witnessing firsthand what this virus can do, yet stepping in daily into a high-risk area and exposing oneself to possible risk of infection, takes its toll on one's psychological well-being. However, the pandemic has allowed health care professionals to show higher levels of perseverance and professionalism in the face of the pandemic.

In view of how the COVID-19 pandemic has affected healthcare workers and the perception of the medical field around the world, the aim of this cross-sectional study is to determine what impact this may have had on the choices of high school students to pursue medicine as a career.

Study Type

Observational

Enrollment (Actual)

1695

Contacts and Locations

This section provides the contact details for those conducting the study, and information on where this study is being conducted.

Study Locations

  • Pakistan
    • Sindh
      • Karachi, Sindh, Pakistan, 75500
        • Aga Khan University

Participation Criteria

Researchers look for people who fit a certain description, called eligibility criteria. Some examples of these criteria are a person's general health condition or prior treatments.

Eligibility Criteria

Ages Eligible for Study

14 years to 20 years (ADULT, CHILD)

Accepts Healthy Volunteers

Yes

Genders Eligible for Study

All

Sampling Method

Non-Probability Sample

Study Population

Pakistani high school students

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

  • Age ≥ 14 years old and ≤ 20 years old
  • Enrolled in a high school in Pakistan for the academic year 2019-2020
  • Can communicate in English

Exclusion Criteria:

- Studying a humanities, commerce, or pre-engineering track in high school

Study Plan

This section provides details of the study plan, including how the study is designed and what the study is measuring.

How is the study designed?

Design Details

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
The change in the percentage (%) of students considering a career in medicine before the COVID-19 pandemic vs. after onset of the COVID-19 pandemic
Time Frame: 1 year
This outcome would be measured by a self-designed questionnaire via a dichotomous question
1 year

Collaborators and Investigators

This is where you will find people and organizations involved with this study.

Sponsor

Aga Khan University

Investigators

  • Principal Investigator: Sarah Nadeem, MD, Aga Khan University

Study record dates

These dates track the progress of study record and summary results submissions to ClinicalTrials.gov. Study records and reported results are reviewed by the National Library of Medicine (NLM) to make sure they meet specific quality control standards before being posted on the public website.

Study Major Dates

Study Start (ACTUAL)

October 16, 2020

Primary Completion (ACTUAL)

November 14, 2020

Study Completion (ACTUAL)

November 14, 2020

Study Registration Dates

First Submitted

May 12, 2022

First Submitted That Met QC Criteria

May 17, 2022

First Posted (ACTUAL)

May 18, 2022

Study Record Updates

Last Update Posted (ACTUAL)

May 18, 2022

Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria

May 17, 2022

Last Verified

May 1, 2022

More Information

Terms related to this study

Keywords

Additional Relevant MeSH Terms

Other Study ID Numbers

  • 2020-5368-14553

Plan for Individual participant data (IPD)

Plan to Share Individual Participant Data (IPD)?

NO

Drug and device information, study documents

Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated drug product

No

Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated device product

No

This information was retrieved directly from the website clinicaltrials.gov without any changes. If you have any requests to change, remove or update your study details, please contact register@clinicaltrials.gov. As soon as a change is implemented on clinicaltrials.gov, this will be updated automatically on our website as well.

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