Factors and perceptions of medical undergraduate students influencing their choice of specialty

BACKGROUND: Students make their decision on a future medical career while experiencing different areas of medical specialties based on their perceptions and preferences. OBJECTIVE: The objective of the study is to explore the factors and perceptions of undergraduate medical students which influence their choice of postgraduate specialization. MATERIALS AND METHODS: This cross-sectional study was conducted in the year 2022 among 257 2nd year undergraduate medical students who were queried about possible factors that might influence their choice of specialization. The factors were grouped as intrinsic factors (personal attributes and preferences); and extrinsic factors (nature of work and working environment). Data entry and analysis were done in SPSS version 23. RESULTS: Final analysis was done on 235 students out of a total of 257 students (response rate of 91.43%). Majority (86.4%) were 19–20 years of age, with mean (±standard deviation) age of 19.8 (±0.9) years. Gender preference was observed to affect choices of a few specialties such as orthopedics and obstetrics/gynecology. Motivating factors for choosing a certain specialization were the perception of a better quality of life (84.7%); financial rewards (26.8%); and less work pressure (23.4%). Most of our medical students claimed that the selection of their specialty was based on prior clinical posting (65.5%) and influenced by teaching faculty and hospital consultants (59.6%). 8.1% of the students reported that COVID affected their choice of specialty. Specialization in pre- and para-clinical subjects was preferred by 3.4% (n = 8) of the participants. CONCLUSIONS: The study identified a mix of both intrinsic and extrinsic factors influencing, motivating, and guiding their choice. Specialized careers support programs may be integrated into the curriculum following an analysis of students' perceptions in different disciplines.