What drives Malaysian medical students’ specialty choices? Findings from the MMSCI study

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INTRODUCTION: The training of clinical specialists in Malaysia on completion of the undergraduate medical programme is long and expansive. In recent years, the training process has been plagued with issues of funding, recognition, insufficient training opportunities, and lack of uniformity in the delivery of the training. However, there is a dire shortage of clinical specialists across all specialties in Malaysia, especially with the increase in demand for healthcare services. An analysis of the intentions of Malaysian medical students to specialise and the factors that influence their decisions is currently lacking. This study aims to provide insights into specialty training and may inform the planning of human resources for health in the country. METHODS: This was a cross-sectional study involving 859 medical students from 21 medical schools in Malaysia. This study was part of the Malaysian Medical Students' Career Intentions (MMSCI) project. Data were collected via a self-administered online questionnaire. RESULTS: Majority of medical students expressed an interest to specialise (85%). The most favoured specialties were General Surgery, Paediatrics, and Obstetrics and Gynaecology. Medical students from private universities had a greater intention to specialise compared to public university students (p < 0.001). Male medical students were more likely to select a pure surgical specialty as compared to medical-based specialties (p = 0.037). Female medical students rated "Working Environment & Conditions" and "Work-Life Balance" as important factors for the choice of specialty training (p = 0.044 and p = 0.032, respectively). CONCLUSION: Majority of Malaysian medical students expressed intentions to specialise. The preferences in specialty choices in our study reflect the global trends. Passion and interest were the top reasons for medical students when indicating their specialty of choice. Further studies are needed to explore the changing trends in specialty choices and the influencing factors.

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