Five-year survey of medical student attrition in a medical school in Nigeria: a pilot study

dc.creator	Ogugua A Egwu
dc.creator	Godson E Anyanwu
dc.date	2010-10-01T00:00:00Z
dc.date.accessioned	2015-08-12T11:37:25Z
dc.date.available	2015-08-12T11:37:25Z
dc.identifier	1179-7258
dc.identifier	https://doaj.org/article/7f88b003b4674cc7b8eb80bbc0933d56
dc.identifier.uri	http://evidence.thinkportal.org/handle/123456789/31417
dc.description	Ogugua A Egwu1, Godson E Anyanwu21Department of Anatomy, Faculty of Basic Medical Sciences, Ebonyi State University, Ebonyi State; 2Department of Anatomy, College of Medicine, Faculty of Medical Sciences, University of Nigeria, Enugu State, NigeriaBackground: Student attrition represents a waste of career opportunity and, at times, results in a holistic loss of sense of self-worth for the students involved. The aim of this study was to evaluate the nature, causes, and impact of medical student attrition in Nigeria.Method: A pilot analysis was undertaken using the records of students who failed at medical school as a result of inability to pass the second MBBS examination at Ebonyi State University, Abakaliki, Nigeria, between 2002 and 2007. Some of these students were interviewed using a structured questionnaire.Results: Data analysis showed that 58 (7.8%) of the students admitted into preclinical class withdrew from their study. Thirty-six (62.1%) were males and the rest were females. Thirteen of those withdrawn were interviewed, and 53.8% of them believed they had poor academic ability, while 15.4% attributed their withdrawal to family pressure. No record of guidance or counseling session programs was noted for these students either at the point of withdrawal from the faculty and on the choice of a new career path.Conclusion: As a result of the high attrition rate due to low academic ability, efforts should be made to check students for evidence of this at the point of admission to medicine training. Also, more accommodating teaching programs should be encouraged in faculties to accommodate students with such challenges. Good guidance and counseling programs should be encouraged to handle these inevitable cases of attrition when they occur, to avoid the demoralizing low self-esteem that plagues these individuals for the rest of their lives.Keywords: medical students, attrition, medical education, Nigeria
dc.language	English
dc.publisher	Dove Press
dc.relation	http://www.dovepress.com/five-year-survey-of-medical-student-attrition-in-a-medical-school-in-n-a5551
dc.relation	https://doaj.org/toc/1179-7258
dc.source	Advances in Medical Education and Practice, Vol 2010, Iss default, Pp 53-57 (2010)
dc.subject	Medicine (General)
dc.subject	R5-920
dc.subject	Medicine
dc.subject	R
dc.subject	DOAJ:Medicine (General)
dc.subject	DOAJ:Health Sciences
dc.subject	Special aspects of education
dc.subject	LC8-6691
dc.subject	Education
dc.subject	L
dc.subject	DOAJ:Education
dc.subject	DOAJ:Social Sciences
dc.subject	Medicine (General)
dc.subject	R5-920
dc.subject	Medicine
dc.subject	R
dc.subject	DOAJ:Medicine (General)
dc.subject	DOAJ:Health Sciences
dc.subject	Special aspects of education
dc.subject	LC8-6691
dc.subject	Education
dc.subject	L
dc.subject	DOAJ:Education
dc.subject	DOAJ:Social Sciences
dc.subject	Medicine (General)
dc.subject	R5-920
dc.subject	Medicine
dc.subject	R
dc.subject	Special aspects of education
dc.subject	LC8-6691
dc.subject	Education
dc.subject	L
dc.subject	Medicine (General)
dc.subject	R5-920
dc.subject	Medicine
dc.subject	R
dc.subject	Special aspects of education
dc.subject	LC8-6691
dc.subject	Education
dc.subject	L
dc.subject	Medicine (General)
dc.subject	R5-920
dc.subject	Medicine
dc.subject	R
dc.subject	Special aspects of education
dc.subject	LC8-6691
dc.subject	Education
dc.subject	L
dc.title	Five-year survey of medical student attrition in a medical school in Nigeria: a pilot study
dc.type	article