Attitudes of faculty members and Ph.D. students towards the field of study and professional development in Hamadan University of Medical Sciences in 2017-2018.

This study aimed to determine the attitude of faculty members and PhD students at Hamedan University of Medical Sciences, Hamedan, Iran toward the field of study and career development in 2017-2018.

This cross-sectional study was performed on 133 faculty members and PhD students selected by relative-stratified sampling. Using demographic characteristics questionnaires, we assessed the self-efficacy, attitude to coaching function, the field of study and career development. In addition, data analysis was performed in SPSS version 16.

In this study, most professors and students had a favorable attitude to the field of study. On the other hand, students had an unfavorable attitude toward career development. Moreover, a positive attitude toward career development was related to the permanent employment status of individuals (P<0.05). In addition, a significant relationship was observed between students’ attitude toward field of study, coaching function, self-efficacy and career development (P<0.05). Furthermore, there was a significant, positive correlation between students’ self-efficacy and their attitude toward field of study and career development (P<0.05).

According to the results of the study, the performance of professors affected the attitude of students toward field of study and career development. Using educational, research, administrative and cultural indicators, professors can become role models for students and improve their attitude toward field of study and career development.