The Impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic on the Career Choice of Medicine

The COVID-19 pandemic poses an unprecedented global health crisis that has affected healthcare systems around the world. Those working in the health sector are at the forefront of this pandemic and naturally have been deeply impacted by it. Health care workers are at risk of serious physical exhaustion owing to long shifts, a major increase in workload and working under high-stress conditions. Shortage of Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) in many hospitals carries a serious health risk for not only healthcare workers but their families and patients as well. In addition to the physical toll that the pandemic has taken on doctors and other healthcare professionals, it has also affected their mental health deeply with an increase in anxiety and depression. Witnessing firsthand what this virus can do, yet stepping in daily into a high-risk area and exposing oneself to possible risk of infection, takes its toll on one's psychological well-being. However, the pandemic has allowed health care professionals to show higher levels of perseverance and professionalism in the face of the pandemic.

In view of how the COVID-19 pandemic has affected healthcare workers and the perception of the medical field around the world, the aim of this cross-sectional study is to determine what impact this may have had on the choices of high school students to pursue medicine as a career.

Inclusion criteria

• Age ≥ 14 years old and ≤ 20 years old
• Enrolled in a high school in Pakistan for the academic year 2019-2020
• Can communicate in English

Exclusion criteria

• Studying a humanities, commerce, or pre-engineering track in high school