Background : Medical doctors are potential important source of anatomy
teachers. The aim of this study was to determine the choice of anatomy
as a career option among medical students in a Nigerian medical school
Method : Descriptive survey of second- and third-year medical students
using a self-administered questionnaire to asses age, sex, perception
of anatomy as a subject, anatomy training experience and choice of
anatomy as a career among respondents. Analysis was conducted using the
SPSS and statistical significance inferred at P< 0.05. Results :
Three hundred and fifty three (85.3% response rate) who completely
filled questionnaire were returned and analyzed of which 195 (55.2%)
were males and 158(44.8%) were females. Their ages ranged between 18
and 37 years with a mean of 22.4 ± 9.9 years. Although most
students agreed that anatomy was an important subject in medical
sciences 346 (98%), they had benefited from anatomy training in their
clinical classes 320 (90.7%), and the knowledge of anatomy is useful in
investigating patients with certain diseases 251 (71.1%), only 22
(6.2%) would choose anatomy as a career. Male students were more likely
to choose anatomy as a career (P=0.026). Textbooks were the most common
334 (94.5%), while radiological means were the least 23 (6.5%) method
employed in learning anatomy. Conclusion : Anatomy as a subject is
perceived positively by clinical medical students, but the choice as a
career option is low; attempt at increasing career interest is needful