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

Authors

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%).

Conclusion

  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

Published

2025/11/21

Issue

Vol. VOLUME 6-issue 4

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Non-Commercial 4.0 International License .

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