title: What determines the selection of undergraduate medical students to the specialty of their future careers?
abstract: BACKGROUND
  It is important to understand the factors that influence the undergraduate medical students' specialties choice for the post-graduation.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  To identify the number of undergraduate medical students who decided their post-graduate specialty career, factors that may influence their decision to select a particular specialty, and their career specialties preference.
  
  
  METHODS
  A self-administered questionnaire was used to achieve the objectives.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Less than half of the students (40.2%) showed a future specialty preference. Senior students and having background about specialties were the significant factors for career choices. General Surgery (27.4%), ENT-Ophthalmology (24.6%) and Internal Medicine (22%) were preferred specialties. Male students preferred General Surgery (15.7%), Internal Medicine (15%), ENT-Ophthalmology (12%) and Orthopedics (9.1%). Female students showed interest in ENT-Ophthalmology (12.1%), Surgery (11.7%), Pediatrics (10.8%) and Dermatology (8.2%). The least popular specialties were Community Medicine, (6.6%), Anesthesia, (6%) and Forensic Medicine (4.6%). Obstetrics and Gynecology (Ob/Gyne) was a less popular branch even in female students.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  General Surgery, ENT-Ophthalmology and Internal Medicine were the most preferred specialties, while Community Medicine, Forensic and Ob/Gyne, even for female students were least selected specialties. Proper information and counseling should be offered to students about the challenges and opportunities to select their future careers.
authors.affiliation: Department of Medical Education, College of Medicine, King Saud University, P.O. Box: 230155, Riyadh 11321, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. hamzaabg@gmail.com
authors.forename: Hamza Mohammad
authors.initials: HM
authors.lastname: Abdulghani
authors.forename: Ghadeer
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Al-Shaikh
authors.forename: Abdulaziz K
authors.initials: AK
authors.lastname: Alhujayri
authors.forename: Nawaf S
authors.initials: NS
authors.lastname: Alohaideb
authors.forename: Habeeb A
authors.initials: HA
authors.lastname: Alsaeed
authors.forename: Ibrahim S
authors.initials: IS
authors.lastname: Alshohayeb
authors.forename: Mossaed M
authors.initials: MM
authors.lastname: Alyahya
authors.forename: Ali Ibrahim
authors.initials: AI
authors.lastname: Alhaqwi
authors.forename: Shaffi Ahamed
authors.initials: SA
authors.lastname: Shaik
mesh_terms: D002321:Career Choice; D002755:Choice Behavior; D004504:Education, Medical, Undergraduate; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D009042:Motivation; D012529:Saudi Arabia; D013038:Specialization; D013337:Students, Medical / Q000523:psychology*; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D055815:Young Adult