What affects the career choice of medical students?

Abstract

Abstract Background:Career choice is a critical decision that may be affected by various factors. Being physician have always been attractive and preferred, although studying medicine may be challenging. Medical faculties all aim to graduate well-trained physicians. This may be possible with motivated students willing to be good physicians. Therefore, it is important to know students' perceptions and motivations for choosing medicine. The objective of this study was to explore the factors affecting first-year medical students' choice of medical school. Methods: This was a cross-sectional study. The data were collected from 297 first-year medical school students using an online questionnaire. Chi-square tests, t tests and ANOVA were used to analyse the data, and the significance level was p<0.05. Results: The most important factors affecting the students' choices were their own desires, belief that they would be good physicians, high morale satisfaction in medicine, employment guarantees and good financial income. However, the perception that physicians are not paid well and inappropriate working conditions are the most significant factors for students’ hesitation to choose medical school. The female participants were more influenced by personal factors, while the male participants were more influenced by good financial income. Conclusions:This study is important for understanding the complex process of career choice in medicine. This may help policymakers develop strategies for attracting and retaining the medical profession, medical educators in curriculum design, teaching methods and motivating students in medical education.