Ophthalmology Career Choices Among Medical Students in Africa: A Cross-Sectional Survey of 36 Countries

Purpose To explore the factors influencing medical students' choice of ophthalmology as a specialty in Africa. Design This was a cross-sectional, mixed methods survey study involving medical students in 36 African countries. Methods The multi-center cross-sectional survey study was conducted between June and October 2023 explored factors influencing medical students' choice of ophthalmology as a specialty. It involved medical students enrolled in 152 medical schools across 36 African countries. Convenience and snowball sampling was used with dissemination through social media platforms. The questionnaire explored factors influencing their choice of ophthalmology, including demographics, academic and personal interests, clinical exposure, lifestyle factors, desire for service, presence of mentors, and career opportunities. Descriptive statistics and linear regression models were used to analyze factors influencing specialty choice. Thematic analysis was employed to analyze qualitative data. Results 1044 medical students from 36 countries responded to the survey. The average age was 23.2 years, and the gender distribution was nearly equal. Only 3.18% of students selected ophthalmology as their first choice specialty, indicating a low interest in the field. Clinical phase of training was a significant predictor of choosing ophthalmology, while other factors like age, gender, and substance use had no influence. Students interested in ophthalmology gave less importance to prestige and more importance to leisure time and lifestyle factors when considering specialty choices. Good work-life balance was the most selected positive factor for the field, while narrow focus and inadequate locations to practice were seen as negative aspects. Common themes related to lifestyle factors and technical aspects emerged in the qualitative analysis of student perceptions. Conclusions Despite the global shortage of ophthalmologists, a small percentage of medical students in Africa expressed interest in ophthalmology. Ophthalmology interested students valued lifestyle more highly in our sample. These findings suggest the need for interventions to raise awareness of ophthalmology and its impact on patients' lives among medical students in Africa.