An Examination of the Attitudes and Behaviors of Turkish Doctors and Medical Students towards Emigration

Abstract

The aim of this study was to investigate the attitudes and behaviours of doctors and medical students towards brain drain. This study was executed in Afyonkarahisar Health Sciences University (AFSU) between 14.11.2022 - 31.12.2022. It was conducted among 1st-6th grade students of the faculty of medicine and doctors of AFSU faculty of medicine. The sample of the study consisted of 691 students and 110 doctors. Data analysis was done in the SPSS 26.0 statistical package program. Descriptive statistics and Chi-square analysis were used. There were 784 (97.9%) Turkish citizens and 17 (2.1%) foreign nationals in the study. It is seen that 491 (61.3%) of the participants were female and 691 (86.3%) were students. When the opinions of the participants about working abroad were analyzed, 429 (53.6%) stated that they wanted to work abroad, 123 (15.4%) stated that they did not want to work abroad, and 249 (31.1%) stated that they were undecided. In response to the question "Would you consider returning if you want to practice medicine abroad?” 180 (42%) said yes, 114 (26.6%) said no, and 135 (31.5%) were undecided. Do you think language exams are an obstacle for you to go abroad? To the question "Do you think language exams prevent you from going abroad?", 315(39%) of the participants answered yes, 388 (49%) said no, while 98 (12%) stated that they were undecided. Higher income, better behavior (respect, love, understanding ...), insecurity are among the reasons why doctors want to go abroad. Other reasons include working conditions, technologically equipped health systems abroad, traveling opportunities, and career and further education opportunities. It has been observed that the rate of those who want to practice medicine abroad and those who want to return when they go abroad is high. It was determined that the foreign language problem is an important obstacle to brain drain. It has been understood that if the working fees in Türkiye increase, both students and doctors may give up going abroad.