Reason | Explanation | Quotes |
---|---|---|
Acquire new experiences | Students desired to have exposure to new clinical settings and different cultures to gain broader knowledge and experience | “I have never been outside of Malawi. I would like to see other things, how people do things outside.” |
“You get more exposure to what’s out there, the differences, and you get to widen your knowledge.” | ||
“[Outside Malawi] you don’t just read about it, you get to see it.” | ||
“…also cultural experiences and meeting new people. It broadens your mind and helps you be a holistic doctor.” | ||
Improve medical care in Malawi | Students believed that training elsewhere and returning would better equip them to advance the medical field in Malawi | “I want to see what else is out there so I can work alongside with that and see what I can bring back from there that will be helpful for Malawi.” |
Train in specialty not offered in Malawi | Students expressed the aspiration for further training in specialties not currently offered in Malawi | “The only thing that would not keep me here is the lack of the learning opportunity.” |
“There are a lot fields, like Psychiatry for example, that are not offered under the College of Medicine.” | ||
Earn more money | Students did not think that the salaries of registrars was adequate to support their families | “Financial security becomes a problem. If I was to have an option to earn more than I can earn here as a junior doctor, I will choose that. [Elsewhere] the pay is much better than here.” |
“Patriotism does not pay in Malawi…How can I pay my kids’ school fees? It is not right that my father gave me an education and then in the name of patriotism my children suffer.” | ||
Obtain a better education | Students perceived training in other countries as higher quality that training in Malawi | “I think Malawians should not get second class anything. I want to get decent training and give them the best care. If I am teaching medical students, if I did my postgraduate training [outside Malawi], the way I teach that topic will be different…We need quality specialists.” |
“The most obvious choice for anyone would be to leave Africa and go a place that’s offering a better education.” | ||
Leave the country | Many students viewed training in another country as a means to leave Malawi | “Most people that have grown up here think it hasn’t been much fun growing up in Malawi. It’s been tough, so you want to see something different.” |
“If I was to specialize, let’s say in Australia, then I could work anywhere in the world, not just in Malawi.” |