Informing rural and remote students about careers in health: factors influencing career decisions

Objective: Since 1994 a state-wide program has been operating in Queensland to provide non-metropolitan secondary school students with information about health careers. Determination of the factors influencing the career decisions of rural and remote students was one objective of the evaluation of that program. Design: Telephone interviews. Setting: Secondary schools. Subjects: People who had previously attended Year 10 residential health career workshops run by Queensland Health. Ninety-four of 277 past participants to Year 10 Health Careers Workshops responded to a postal questionnaire and were invited to take part in a telephone questionnaire to collect further information related to the course and career choices. Main outcome measures: Self reported factors affecting career decisions of students from rural and remote areas. Results: Of the 94 past workshop participants, interviews were held with 70. All participants had left secondary education and had either undertaken or were undertaking some form of tertiary study. The most influential of nine factors to both undergraduate and postgraduate course choices was self interest. Various other factors differentially contributed to undergraduate and postgraduate course choices among them were the health careers workshops which played a major influence on undergraduate course decisions of students. Conclusion Self interest is the largest self-reported factor to career decision making among students from rural and remote areas. Finance and career advice from school are not considered to be highly influential. However these independent decisions may be substantially influenced by external information provided through health career workshops