Croatian Medical Journal
Volume 55, Issue 5, 2014, Pages 452-458

Emigration-related attitudes of the final year medical students in Croatia: A cross-sectional study at the dawn of the EU accession (Article) (Open Access)

Kolčić I.* , Čikeš M. , Boban K. , Bucan J. , Likić R. , Curić G. , -ogaš Z. , Polašek O.
  • a Department of Public Health, University of Split, School of Medicine, Split, Croatia
  • b University of Split, School of Medicine, Split, Croatia
  • c University of Split, School of Medicine, Split, Croatia
  • d University of Split, School of Medicine, Split, Croatia
  • e Department of Internal Medicine, University of Zagreb, School of Medicine, Zagreb, Croatia, Unit of Clinical Pharmacology, Department of Internal Medicine, Clinical Hospital Center Zagreb, Zagreb, Croatia
  • f Laboratory for DNA analysis, J. J. Strossmayer University of Osijek, School of Medicine, Osijek, Croatia
  • g Department of Neuroscience, University of Split, School of Medicine, Split, Croatia
  • h Department of Public Health, University of Split, School of Medicine, Split, Croatia

Abstract

Aim: To investigate the emigration-related attitudes of final year medical students in Croatia at the dawn of the EU accession in 2013. Methods: All final-year medical students at four Croatian medical schools (Zagreb, Rijeka, Split, and Osijek) were invited to participate in a cross-sectional survey on emigration attitudes. Results: Among 260 respondents (response rate 61%), 90 students (35%) reported readiness for permanent emigration, expecting better quality of life (N = 22, 31%), better health care organization (N = 17, 24%), more professional challenges (N = 10, 14%), or simply to get a job (N = 8, 11%), while the least common expectation were greater earnings (N = 7, 10%). The most common target countries were Germany (N = 36, 40%), USA and Canada (N = 15, 17%), and UK (N = 10, 11%). In a multivariate analysis, readiness for permanent emigration was associated with an interest in undertaking a temporary training abroad (odds ratio [OR] 6.87; 95% confidence interval [CI] 2.83-16.72), while the belief that the preferred specialty could be obtained in Croatia appeared protective against emigration (OR 0.26; 95% CI 0.12-0.59). Conclusion: Despite shortages of health care workers in Croatia, the percentage of students with emigration propensity was rather high. Prevalent negative perception of the Croatian health care and recent Croatian accession to the EU pose a threat of losing newly graduated physicians to EU countries.

Author Keywords

[No Keywords available]

Index Keywords

perception emigrant Croatia health care personnel human Cross-Sectional Studies quality of life Confidence interval Young Adult United States Career Choice cross-sectional study psychology Humans male Canada female emigratio related attitude student attitude Multivariate Analysis questionnaire Article health care health care organization Questionnaires adult migration physician Emigration and Immigration Delivery of Health Care decision making Students, Medical medical student medical school health care delivery
Link
https://www.scopus.com/inward/record.uri?eid=2-s2.0-84920166696&doi=10.3325%2fcmj.2014.55.452&partnerID=40&md5=6292ec7d88e48155f558def65ad7f0fe
DOI: 10.3325/cmj.2014.55.452
ISSN: 03539504
Cited by: 5
Original Language: English