title: Factors influencing medical students' choice of future specialization in medical sciences: a cross-sectional questionnaire survey from medical schools in china, malaysia and regions of South asian association for regional cooperation.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  In future, increase in the number of healthcare professionals is dependent on the career interest among present undergraduate medical students. Based on their interest to pursue their specialty, the availability of medical doctors in each specialty could be done.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  This study was to find out future career interest and factors that influence undergraduate medical students to choose their future specialization.
  
  
  METHODS
  The study was carried out among first-year medical students from five countries. The students were asked to complete an 8-item questionnaire. Two thousand one hundred fifty three participants were enrolled in the study. Data were analyzed in Microsoft-Excel and Statistical Package for the Social Sciences.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Of the 2153 participants, only 1470 responded. Among the 1470 participants, 169 participants were excluded due to the ambiguity in responses, finally making it to 1301participants. Among them, Anatomy (49.3%) followed by Biochemistry (26.7%) and Physiology (24%) were the most preferred subjects.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Anatomy was the most preferred basic science subject among the other subjects and the students were interested to pursuing surgery in future. Furthermore, the most preferred future specialties were surgery, internal medicine and pediatrics with gender variations; males preferring surgery and females in obstetrics and gynecology.
authors.affiliation: Department of Biochemistry, Manipal College of Medical Sciences, Pokhara, Nepal.
authors.forename: Arun
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Kumar
authors.affiliation: College of Medicine, Jawaharlal Nehru Memorial Hospital, West Bengal, India.
authors.forename: Kasturi
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Mitra
authors.affiliation: International Medical School, Management and Science University, Shah Alam Campus, Selangor, Malaysia.
authors.forename: Sangeetha
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Nagarajan
authors.affiliation: Department of Biochemistry, Manipal College of Medical Sciences, Pokhara, Nepal.
authors.forename: Bibek
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Poudel
keywords: China; First year medical students; Malaysia; Medical Education; Post-Graduation; SAARC country
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