Table 2 Practice plans and related factors, interest in postgraduate studies, preferred program structure and specialty of interest, views on workshops and guidance regarding career plans among a group of senior dental students at Jordan University of Science and Technology (n = 227)
Characteristic | Nationality | Total n(%) | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Jordanians | Malaysians | Gulf States | Syrians, Iraqi and Palestinians | Others | ||
Practice plan* | ||||||
 Private | 49 (46%) | 15 (24%) | 4 (16%) | 17 (77%) | 4 (36%) | 89 (39%) |
 Public | 30 (28%) | 33 (52%) | 16 (64%) | 3 (13%) | 6 (55%) | 88 (38%) |
 Academic | 23 (21%) | 9 (14%) | 5 (20%) | 1 (5%) | 1 (9%) | 39 (17%) |
 Research | 1 (1%) | 4 (7%) | 0 | 0 | 0 | 5 (2%) |
 Others | 4 (4%) | 1 (3%) | 0 | 1 (5%) | 0 | 6 (3%) |
Impact of social and economic changes on practice plan* | ||||||
 Strong | 49 (46%) | 22 (36%) | 5 (20%) | 11 (50%) | 2 (18%) | 89 (39%) |
 Moderate | 44 (41%) | 34 (55%) | 1 (4%) | 7 (31%) | 7 (64%) | 93 (41%) |
 Weak | 5 (5%) | 6 (9%) | 13 (52%) | 3 (14%) | 2 (18%) | 29 (13%) |
 None | 9 (8%) | 0 | 6 (24%) | 1 (5%) | 0 | 16 (7%) |
Interest in PG studies | ||||||
 Yes | 91 (86%) | 52 (84%) | 21 (84%) | 19 (86%) | 8 (73%) | 191 (84%) |
 No | 6 (5%) | 2 (3%) | 0 | 2 (9%) | 0 | 10 (4%) |
Undecided | 10 (9%) | 8 (13%) | 4 (16%) | 1 (5%) | 3 (27%) | 26 (12%) |
Preferred PG structure | ||||||
 Clinical | 53 (58%) | 36 (69%) | 16 (76%) | 14 (73%) | 6 (75%) | 125 (66%) |
 Research | 3 (3%) | 2 (4%) | 1 (5%) | 0 | 0 | 6 (3%) |
 Combined | 31 (34%) | 10 (19%) | 3 (14%) | 3 (16%) | 1 (12%) | 48 (25%) |
 Undecided | 4 (4%) | 4 (8%) | 1 (5%) | 2 (11%) | 1 (12%) | 12 (6%) |
Specialty of interest | ||||||
 Restorative dentistry | 23 (25%) | 11 (21%) | 10 (47%) | 5 (26%) | 4 (50%) | 53 (28%) |
 Prosthodontics | 20 (22%) | 4 (8%) | 1 (5%) | 1 (5%) | 0 | 26 (13%) |
 Orthodontics | 16 (18%) | 2 (4%) | 1 (5%) | 4 (21%) | 1 (12%) | 24 (12%) |
 Periodontics | 6 (7%) | 9 (17%) | 3 (14%) | 2 (11%) | 2 (25%) | 22 (12%) |
 Oral surgery | 13 (14%) | 8 (15%) | 1 (5%) | 0 | 0 | 22 (12%) |
 Paedodontics | 2 (2%) | 9 (17%) | 1 (5%) | 3 (16%) | 0 | 15 (8%) |
  Othersa | 5 (5%) | 8 (15%) | 3 (14%) | 1 (5%) | 0 | 17 (9%) |
 Undecided | 6 (7%) | 1 (2%) | 1 (5%) | 3 (16%) | 1 (12%) | 12 (6%) |
Non academic courses/workshops as alternatives to PG programs | ||||||
 Yes | 27 (25%) | 23 (37%) | 5 (20%) | 10 (45%) | 3 (27%) | 68 (30%) |
 No | 67 (62%) | 26 (42%) | 17 (68%) | 8 (36%) | 4 (36%) | 122 (54%) |
 Undecided | 13 (13%) | 13 (21%) | 3 (12%) | 4 (19%) | 4 (36%) | 37 (16%) |
Guidance regarding career plan provided | ||||||
 Yes | 29 (27%) | 8 (13%) | 9 (36%) | 7 (32%) | 4 (36%) | 57 (25%) |
 No | 78 (73%) | 54 (87%) | 16 (64%) | 15 (68%) | 7 (74%) | 170 (75%) |
Guidance source | ||||||
 Dental faculty | 12 (41%) | 3 (38%) | 2 (22%) | 1 (14%) | 1 (25%) | 19 (34%) |
 National Dental association | 6 (21%) | 1 (12%) | 0 | 3 (44%) | 1 (25%) | 11 (19%) |
 National Student association | 6 (21%) | 2 (25%) | 7 (78%) | 1 (14%) | 0 | 16 (28%) |
 Others | 5 (17%) | 2 (25%) | 0 | 2 (28%) | 2 (50%) | 11 (19%) |