DO DENTAL STUDENTS REGRET THE CAREER CHOİCE BECAUSE OF COVID-19 PANDEMİC?

Year 2022, Volume: 32 Issue: 2, 152 - 157, 17.04.2022

Elif Yeğin Elif Ece Kalaoğlu

https://doi.org/10.17567/ataunidfd.1061188

Abstract

Objective: Dentists have high risk of being infected during COVID-19 pandemic. This cross-sectional study aimed to evaluate the dental students' knowledge and anxiety levels, online education views and the rate of career choice regret associated with COVID-19.
Methods: An online questionnaire was formed on Google docs and shared only with the dental students. Questionnaires were divided into three sections as knowledge about COVID-19, anxiety against pandemic and online education feedbacks. Mann-Whitney U Test and Spearman Rho correlation Analyses were used to analyze the relationship between knowledge and anxiety levels.
Results: Knowledge level scores of the preclinical group were statistically significantly lower than the clinical group (P = .000; P < .05). Anxiety decreased as the level of knowledge increased. (r = -0,116, P = .007). 27.7% of the students regretted choosing dentistry and their anxiety score was found to be significantly higher than those who did not regret (P = .000; P < .05).
Conclusion: The knowledge of dental students on COVID-19 is acceptable and it reduces the anxiety. Dental students should be educated about COVID-19 infection to reduce their anxiety and regret, as well as to make them more confident and conscious. Educational policies should be determined by considering the expectations and demands of the students.
Keywords: Anxiety, COVID-19, dental students, knowledge, online education

ÖZ
Amaç: Diş hekimlerinin COVID-19 salgını sırasında enfekte olma riski yüksektir. Bu kesitsel çalışma, diş hekimliği öğrencilerinin COVID-19 pandemisi ile ilgili kaygı ve bilgi düzeylerini, online eğitime dair görüşlerini ve kariyer seçimi sebebiyle pişmanlık oranlarını değerlendirmeyi amaçlamaktadır.
Yöntemler: Google docs üzerinde online bir anket oluşturulmuş ve diş hekimliği öğrencileri ile paylaşılmıştır. Anket, COVID-19 hakkında bilgi, pandemi kaygısı ve online eğitim geri bildirimleri olmak üzere üç bölüme ayrılmıştır. Bilgi ve kaygı düzeyleri arasındaki ilişkiyi incelemek için Mann-Whitney U Testi ve Spearman Rho Korelasyon Analizleri kullanılmıştır.
Bulgular: Preklinik grubunun bilgi düzeyi klinik grubuna göre istatistiksel olarak anlamlı derecede düşüktür
(P = ,000; P < ,05). Bilgi düzeyi arttıkça, kaygı düzeyi azalmıştır (r = -0,116, P = ,007). Öğrencilerin %27,7'si diş hekimliği seçiminden pişmanlık duymaktadır ve kaygı puanları pişmanlık duymayanlara göre istatistiksel olarak anlamlı derecede yüksek bulunmuştur (P = ,000; P < ,05).
Sonuç: Diş hekimliği öğrencilerinin COVID-19 hakkındaki bilgileri kabul edilebilir düzeydedir. Öğrencilerin daha bilinçli ve özgüven sahibi olmalarını sağlamak için, kaygı düzeylerinin ve pişmanlık oranlarının azaltılmasına yönelik COVID-19 enfeksiyonu hakkında eğitim verilmelidir. Eğitim politikaları, öğrencilerin beklenti ve taleplerini dikkate alarak belirlenmelidir.
Anahtar Kelimeler: Anksiyete, bilgi düzeyi, COVID-19, diş hekimliği öğrencileri, online eğitim

Keywords

Anxiety, COVID-19, dental students, knowledge, online educatio

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