Medical students’ choices of specialty in The Gambia: the need for career counseling

BMC Medical Education

Table 1 Socio-demographic characteristics of respondents

	Total		Female		Male		P-value
	N	%	N	%	N	%
Level	106		58	54.7	48	45.3
First year	13	12.3	9	69.2	4	30.8	0.0200
Second year	30	28.3	21	70.0	9	30.0
Third year	8	7.6	3	37.5	5	62.5
Fourth year	24	22.6	12	50.0	12	50.0
Fifth year	13	12.3	5	38.5	8	61.5
Sixth year	6	5.7	4	66.7	2	33.3
Seventh year	12	11.3	4	33.3	8	66.7
Nationality
Gambians	77	72.6	44	57.1	33	42.9	0.4136
Others	29	27.4	14	48.3	15	51.7
High school attended
Public	49	46.2	20	40.8	29	59.2	0.0077
Private	57	53.8	38	66.7	19	33.3
Father’s occupation
Management, professional, related occupation	64	60.4	38	59.4	26	40.6	0.2539
Service occupation	7	6.6	5	71.4	2	28.6
Sales and office occupation	4	3.8	2	50.0	2	50.0
Natural resources, construction & maintenance	20	18.9	6	30.0	14	70.0
Production, transportation & material moving	4	3.8	2	50.0	2	50.0
Retired	7	6.6	5	71.4	2	28.6
Mother’s educational level
Non-formal	42	39.6	16	38.1	26	61.9	0.0217
Less than high school	12	11.3	10	83.3	2	16.7
High school	19	17.9	12	63.2	7	36.8
More than high school	33	31.1	20	60.6	13	39.4
University payment system
Parents	15	14.1	8	53.3	7	46.7	0.9715
Extended family	16	15.1	8	50.0	8	50.0
Scholarship	63	59.4	35	55.6	28	44.4
Others	12	11.3	7	58.3	5	41.7
Total number of family members
2 – 4	26	24.5	12	46.2	14	53.9	0.0635
5 – 7	55	51.9	36	65.5	19	34.6
> 8	25	23.6	10	40.0	15	60.0
Birth order
First	30	28.3	16	53.3	14	46.7	0.0741
Second	22	20.8	12	54.6	10	45.5
Third	22	20.8	16	72.7	6	27.3
Fourth	12	11.3	8	66.7	4	33.3
> Fifth	20	18.9	6	30.0	14	70.0

ISSN: 1472-6920