Why Do Science Students Study Physiology? Career Priorities of 21st Century Physiology Undergraduates

There have been significant increases in the number of students studying physiology in the Bachelor of Science degree-program at our university. We thought that physiology prerequisites for graduate programs in medicine and allied-health areas were facilitating these increased numbers. Undergraduate physiology students were surveyed about their career priorities: 25% were undecided/uncertain; 22% intended to study graduate medicine; 15% wanted to get a job straight after their degree; 10% planned to study in an allied-health area. Their careers uncertainty remained high, even in their final semester, suggesting a critical need for in-curriculum careers education. With 32% of students selecting graduate programs in medicine or allied-health, this supports the idea that elevated student enrollments are driven by their future study plans. With only 5% of students putting research as their career priority, this raises concerns about how we educate our physiology students. Should we be educating them to be researchers and also developing their skills in preparation for graduate health-related programs?