Abstract
Background Medical students' career choices determine the prospects of the future medical workforce,
thus influencing the delivery of medical care. This study aims to identify and provide
information about factors affecting the selection of future specialties among medical
students.
Methods A cross-sectional study was conducted on students in both preclerkship and clerkship
phases at a single institution in the United Arab Emirates. A self-administered questionnaire
included questions about demographic data, most preferred specialties, and influential
factors. The influential factors were measured using a Likert scale.
Results Surgery and internal medicine were the most desired specialties, respectively. Gender
has a significant role in influencing career choice. There was no association between
preclerkship and clerkship students' career choices. The most influential factors
were seeing good treatment outcomes and having abilities for the specialty.
Conclusions Surgery and internal medicine were the most preferred specialties, even though significant
gender differences existed in specialty choices among these students.
Keywords
medical students - speciality preference - influencing factors - clerkship
