The Specialty Preference and Trend Analysis Among Medical Students: An Institutional Cross-Sectional Study

Authors

  • Prateek Department of Medicine, All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS), Rishikesh, Uttarakhand, India
  • Arnav Ranjan Department of Medicine, All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS), Rishikesh, Uttarakhand, India https://orcid.org/0009-0009-4440-6022
  • Jitender Chaturvedi Department of Neurosurgery, All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS), Rishikesh, Uttarakhand, India

Keywords:

Career Choice, • Education, Medical [I02.358.399], Specialties, Surgical, Education, Medical, Undergraduate, Internal Medicine

Abstract

Background: Medical student specialty preferences directly impact future healthcare workforce distribution. Among the top 1,500 NEET PG rankers, 42% chose MD General Medicine and 30% selected Radiodiagnosis, while only 6.6% opted for General Surgery, signaling a shift away from high-risk procedural fields. Understanding these trends is essential for informed curriculum design and workforce planning.

Aim: This study explores how specialty inclinations develop from 1st to 5th year medical training in an Indian institution, addressing an important yet understudied transition.

Methods: We conducted a cross-sectional survey of medical students at AIIMS Rishikesh. An anonymous online questionnaire was administered, and 357 students indicated their preferred specialty. Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics and chi-square tests (SPSS v23) to assess associations between specialty choice, year of entry, and gender.

Results: Internal Medicine was the most preferred specialty (57 students), followed by Neurosurgery (46), Radiology (33), and General Surgery (32). Specialty preferences varied significantly across batches (χ2 test, p < 0.05), indicating year-dependent trends. Males more frequently favoured Internal Medicine, Neurosurgery, and General Surgery, whereas females more often chose Dermatology, Paediatrics, and Obstetrics/Gynaecology ; however, these gender-based differences were not statistically significant (χ2 = 37.25, df = 32, p = 0.2402).   Conclusion: These findings highlight prevailing interests in medical and surgical fields among our students. The significant variation by entry year suggests that curricular exposure or cohort factors may influence career choice. Although gender-based patterns were observed, the lack of statistical significance indicates that multiple factors contribute to specialty selection. These insights underscore the importance of targeted career guidance and curriculum planning to ensure a balanced future medical workforce.  

 

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Published

2026-08-19

How to Cite

Prateek, Ranjan, A., & Chaturvedi, J. (2026). The Specialty Preference and Trend Analysis Among Medical Students: An Institutional Cross-Sectional Study. International Journal of Medical Students. Retrieved from https://ijms.pitt.edu/IJMS/article/view/4629

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Forthcoming

Section

Abstracts of the WCMSR

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Copyright (c) 2026 Prateek, Arnav Ranjan, Jitender Chaturvedi

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