Original Research

Navigating Career Paths: Influences on Specialty Selection among Amna Inayat Medical College Students: A Cross-sectional Study

Fatima Rehman
Amna Inayat Medical College, Lahore, Pakistan
Fatima Javed
Amna Inayat Medical College, Lahore, Pakistan
Iram Nazir
Amna Inayat Medical College, Lahore, Pakistan
Iffat Javad
Amna Inayat Medical College, Lahore, Pakistan
Bilal Bin Younis
Amna Inayat Medical College, Lahore, Pakistan

✉ Correspondence: Bilal Bin Younis Email: bilalbin@gmail.com

DOI https://doi.org/10.70302/jpsim.v6i4.2558
Volume: 6, Issue 4 Pages: 315–320 Published: 21 Nov 2025
Received: 14 May 2025 Revised: 06 Aug 2025 Accepted: 11 Oct 2025 Published Online: 21 Nov 2025

Abstract

Objective

This study focused on examining the specialty preferences of medical students at Amna Inayat Medical College and the factors influencing their choices.

Methods

This cross-sectional study was conducted at Amna Inayat Medical College. The study included 3rd year, 4th year, and final-year MBBS students who consented verbally to participate. Data was collected via a structured questionnaire.

Results

A total of 212 MBBS students participated in this study. Clinical sciences were the preferred choice for specialty training among 78.8% of respondents, with just 21.2% expressing a preference for basic sciences. Gynecology was the most chosen specialty in clinical sciences (19.8%), followed by medicine (18.6%), general practice/family medicine (11.4%), and dermatology (10.8%). Within basic sciences, 28.9% of students expressed interest in anatomy, while 22.2% preferred pathology, and 15.6% chose physiology. The major factors affecting the choice of a specific specialty included high income potential (35.8%), symbol of prestige (10.4%), desire to keep options open (9.4%), family influence (9%), focus on urgent care (7.1%) and job security (7.1%).

Conclusions

Choosing an appropriate future career is critical for medical students, as it significantly influences their professional achievements and satisfaction. This study emphasizes students' concerns and the factors determining their specialty preferences, providing regulatory bodies with valuable evidence to develop targeted resource management strategies.

Keywords
Career preferences medical specialties influential factors

How to Cite This Article

Rehman F, Javed F, Nazir I, Javad I, Younis BB. Navigating Career Paths: Influences on Specialty Selection among Amna Inayat Medical College Students: A Cross-sectional Study. J Pak Soc Intern Med. 2025;6(4):315–320. doi:10.70302/jpsim.v6i4.2558

⭳ Download PDF

Conflict of Interest

All authors declare no competing interests.

Disclosed in accordance with ICMJE and COPE guidelines.

Funding

No specific funding was received for this research.

Funder information follows the Crossref Funder Registry standard.

References

  1. Rowson M, Smith A, Hughes R, Johnson O, Maini A, Martin S, et al. The evolution of global health teaching in undergraduate medical curricula. Globalization and health. 2012;Doi: 10.1186/1744-8603-8-35. doi:10.1186/1744-8603-8-35
  2. Jantschi L, Bolboaca SD. Interactive web application for evidence-based medicine training. In11th world Congress on Internet in Medicine. MEDNET. Updated 2006. Accessed from: [http://Interactive Web Application for Evidence-Based Medicine Training]
  3. Elstein AS. On the origins and development of evidence-based medicine and medical decision making. Inflam Res. 2004; Doi: 10.1007/s00011-004-0357-2. doi:10.1007/s00011-004-0357-2
  4. Rouprêt M, Hupertan V, Chartier-Kastler E. The choice of a medical career in a population of 600 second-cycle French medical students preparing the national-ranking exam. Presse Med. 2005;34(11):786-90.
  5. Dorsey ER, Jarjoura D, Rutecki GW: The influence of controllable lifestyle and sex on the specialty choices of graduating U.S. medical students, 1996–2003. Acad Med. 2005;80(4): 791-6.
  6. Matorin AA, Venegas-Samuels KA, Ruiz P, Butler PM, Abdulla A. US medical students choice of careers and its future impact on health care manpower. J Health Hum Serv Admin. 2000;22(4):495-509.
  7. Godbole AA, Oka GA, Ketkar MN, Solanki RS, Desai DT, Bangale SV. Specialty preferences of undergraduate medical students: What do they choose and why? Med J Armed Forces India. 2024;81(1):66-71.
  8. Akhund S, Shaikh ZA, Kolachi HB. Career related choices of medical students from an International Medical College of Karachi, Pakistan. JlUMHS. 2012;11(3):180-84.
  9. Aslam M, Ali A, Taj T, Badar N, Mirza W, Ammar A, et al . Specialty choices of medical students and house officers in Karachi, Pakistan. East Medit Health J. 2011;17(1), 74-9.
  10. Ali A, Rasheed A, Zaidi SM, Alsaani SM, Naim H, Hamid H. Recent trend in specialty choices of medical students and house officers from public sector medical universities, Karachi. J Pak Med Assoc. 2019;69(4):489-94.
  11. Al-Zubi M, Ali MM, Alzoubi S, Bani-Hani M, Awwad MA, Seetan K, et al. Preference of and factors that influence future specialty among medical students in Jordan: A cross-sectional study. Ann Med Surg. 2021;67. Doi: 10.1016/j.amsu.2021.102527. doi:10.1016/j.amsu.2021.102527
  12. Vaglum P, Wiers-Jenssen J, Ekeberg O. Motivation for medical school: the relationship to gender and specialty preferences in a nationwide sample. Med Educ. 1999;33(4):236-42.
  13. Saeed S, Raza M, Hussain A, Ali MM, Khalid F. Factors associated with medical students' career choices at a private university: a cross-sectional study. J Pak Med Assoc. 2023;73(12):2431-3.
  14. Bodenheimer T, Pham HH. Primary care: current problems and proposed solutions. Health affairs. 2010;29(5):799-805.
  15. Hakami N, Madkhali A, Hakami F, ALshekh M, Masmali E, Hamithi D. Obstacles deterring medical students from pursuing a career in the field of surgery in Jazan University, Saudi Arabia. Cureus. 2023;15(8):e43233.
  16. Fernández-Cruz L. General surgery as education, not specialization. Ann Surg. 2004;240(6):932-8.
  17. Scott I, Gowans MC, Wright B, Brenneis F. Why medical students switch careers: changing course during the preclinical years of medical school. Canad Fam Phy. 2007;53(1):94-5.
  18. Carline JD, Greer T. Comparing physicians' specialty interests upon entering medical school with their eventual practice specialties. Academic Med. 1991;66(1):446.
  19. Okunlola AI, Babalola OF, Okunlola CK, Salawu AI, Adeyemo OT, Adebara IO. Determining factors for the choice of medical career among the final year medical students of a private university in Nigeria. Niger J Med. 2020;29(2):308-311.
  20. Chawla J, Arora M, Datta K, Singh SP, Arora A. Factors affecting the choice of postgraduate specialty among undergraduate medical students: a prospective observational study from India. South-East Asian J Med Educ. 2018;12(2):35-44.
  21. Dikici MF, Yaris F, Topsever P, Tuncay Muge F, Gurel FS, Cubukcu M, et al. Factors affecting choice of specialty among first-year medical students of four universities in different regions of Turkey. Croat Med J. 2008;49:415–20.
  22. Din MU, Rana UK, Maqbool S, Din JR, Hazyefa M, Raza MA. Parents influence on career choice of medical undergraduates. Prof Med J. 2022;29(08):1268-74.
  23. Auditor KJC, Cayabas MD, Arenga JB. Factors affecting career preferences of indigenous people students in secondary schools of North Cotabato, Philippines. Int J Arts Hum Social Sci Stud. 2021; 6(11):29-35.
  24. Ojukwu MO, Ali E. The demographic variables of parents as predictors of career preference of inschooladolescents students in abia state. Int J Edu Res. 2020; 3(08):20-35.
  25. Nisar S, Rehman A, Abou-Touk M, Alsanosi SM, Ikram N, Rehman A. Factors affecting the specialty choice among medical students of Saudi Arabia; an exploratory study. BMC Med Edu. 2024;24(1):1-7.

Reference list indexed for Google Scholar and ResearchGate. DOI links resolve via doi.org.

CC BY CC BY 4.0 This article is published under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License. May be shared and adapted with attribution. © 2025 Journal of Pakistan Society of Internal Medicine.
📃 In This Issue View All
Original Article Serum Ferritin as a Prognostic Marker in COVID-19 Severity: A Hospital-Based Study Rehman N, Sheikh I, Javed K Review Article Thyroid Disorders in Pregnancy: Clinical Implications and Management Strategies Baig BI, Usman A Original Article Comparison of Ultrasound-Guided versus Landmark-Based Central Venous Catheter Insertion Zafar S, Gillani SA Review Article Antibiotic Resistance Patterns in Community-Acquired Pneumonia: Emerging Trends Hussain I, Farooq Z Original Article Prevalence of Hypertension Among Urban Adults in Pakistan: A Cross-Sectional Study Khan TM, Ahmed S, Malik RA
👥 More by These Authors
Original Article Neonatal Sepsis: Bacteriological Profile and Antibiogram in a Tertiary Care Hospital Iqbal M, Rashid T Original Article Impact of Diabetes Mellitus on Post-Operative Wound Healing in General Surgery Siddiqui FA, Noor M, Akhtar W Original Article Cervical Cancer Screening Awareness Among Rural Women in Punjab Bibi S, Anjum R, Hassan F Original Article Outcomes of Laparoscopic Cholecystectomy in Acute Cholecystitis: A Retrospective Analysis Raza SH, Butt N, Qureshi AM
🔗 Related Articles By Keywords
Original Article Comparison of Ultrasound-Guided versus Landmark-Based Central Venous Catheter Insertion Zafar S, Gillani SA Review Article Antibiotic Resistance Patterns in Community-Acquired Pneumonia: Emerging Trends Hussain I, Farooq Z Original Article Prevalence of Hypertension Among Urban Adults in Pakistan: A Cross-Sectional Study Khan TM, Ahmed S, Malik RA Review Article Statin Therapy in Non-Alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease: A Systematic Review Nawaz F, Cheema HA, Mehmood Y