Why Do Allied Health Undergartuates and Graduates Move towards the Unrelated Professions; A Study Focused to University of Ruhuna

Abstract

Background: Allied Health Sciences (AHS) degree programmes were started to uplift the standard of the allied health professions. However, every year a large number of allied health undergraduates and graduates change their profession to other professions creating many issues in AHS higher education. Objectives: This cross-sectional study was aimed to identify the trend and reasons leading to shift Allied Health undergraduates and graduates towards the other professions as their future carriers among the undergraduates and graduates of University of Ruhuna (UOR). Methodology: Two pre-tested questionnaires were used separately for AHS graduates (n=201) and AHS undergraduates (n=210) of University of Ruhuna during May-June 2017. Results and conclusions: Majority of Pharmacy (82%) and MLS (96%) undergraduates were willing to continue into same profession that they are trained while only 47% of nursing undergraduates were happy to become nurses. Of the nursing graduates of 1st and 2nd batches 16 (33.3%) have selected teaching as their carrier. Stressfulness (31.3%), low remuneration (26.2%), lack of interest (21.4%) and lack of job satisfaction (13.1%) in nursing were the main reasons they indicated. But most of the 3rd batch graduates (n=20, 58.8%) are practicing nursing because of their own satisfaction and influence of family member. Considerable proportion (20, 43.5%) graduates of 4th batch were unemployed. However, almost all the pharmacy and MLS graduates are engaging their career with relevant job field as pharmacists and MLTs, majority with their own interest (Pharmacy; 82.6%, MLS; 65%). Most of nursing undergraduates have decided not to engage in relevant job in future, because of its stressfulness (45.7%). Most of the nursing graduates have shifted to other job fields and majority nursing undergraduates have decided not to engage relevant job in future. Stressfulness in nursing profession is the most important reason to deviate the undergraduates and graduates from Nursing. Pharmacy and MLS undergraduates and graduates have no such movements to unrelated professions.