Abstract:
Background; Anesthesiology is a critical specialty within the medical field, focusing on the care
of patients before, during, and after surgical procedures. It involves monitoring vital signs,
managing pain levels, and regulating consciousness. Anesthesiologists are specialized doctors in
charge of administering anesthetics and overseeing patients' critical functions during surgeries
and other medical procedures. Despite its crucial significance, medical students frequently lack
knowledge and comprehension of anesthesiology, which may have an impact on their choice to
become a doctor.
Objectives; To assess the knowledge and perception of medical students about Anesthesiology
and their Interest in Anesthesiology as a future career among medical students at JUIH faculty of
medical science.
Method; A Cross-sectional study was conducted at JUIH faculty of medical science.174 clinical
year medical students were selected by simple random sampling technique. Data was collected
using structured questionnaires by kobo tool box. The collected data were entered, clean-edited,
and analyzed using SPSS version 25.0statistical software. Factors influencing the knowledge and
perception of medical students were analyzed using bi-variable and multivariable binary logistic
regression.
Result: Among 173 clinical year and internship medical students surveyed, three-fourths of them
have good knowledge about anesthesiology, and 68.78% of them have a positive perception
about anesthesiology. Majority of participants (67.6%) reported undergoing anesthesiology
related clinical rotation. 5th-year and 6th-year medical students have 4.64 times and 8.93 times
better knowledge compared to 4th-year students respectively, which indicates progression in the
academic year can increase knowledge about the specific specialties. Regarding their interest in
anesthesiology as a feature career, only 19.1 % of them have pursued anesthesiology.
Conclusion: Although 75% of medical students at Jimma University Medical Faculty have a
good understanding about anesthesiology, only 19.1% want to pursue it as a career. An increase
in age and Seniority correlates with better knowledge of anesthesiology among medical students
