title: Choice of medical specialties amongst final year medical students in two universities in South-South, Nigeria.
abstract: Study aimed at determining the preferred medical specialties among final year medical students and the most important factor(s) influencing their choices.
  
  
  METHODS
  A cross-sectional questionnaire-based survey was carried out among all final year medical students from the University of Benin (UNIBEN) and the Niger Delta University (NDU). The study was done in UNIBEN in July 2011 and subsequently in NDU in March 2012.Students were asked to choose the most preferred specialty out of a list of options and to select the most important factors influencing their choice.
  
  
  RESULTS
  A total of one hundred and sixty seven (102 UNIBEN and 65 NDU) students completed the study. A hundred (59.9%) respondents preferred surgery-related specialties while forty nine (29.3%) preferred medicine-related specialty. Forty five (26.9%) students preferred surgery while thirty six (21.6%) preferred obstetrics and gynaecology. Internal medicine and paediatrics were preferred amongst 18(10.8%) and 10(6.0%) respondents respectively. Other specialties were chosen to a lesser degree. Personal interest in 95(56.9%) participants was the most important factor influencing choice of medical specialties.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The study highlights a general preference for core clinical specialties and surgery-related specialties especially surgery and obstetrics and gynaecology, amongst final year medical students. Personal interest was the most important factor influencing career choice. These findings have important implications for Nigeria's medical education and health care policy making.
authors.affiliation: Department of Medicine, Niger Delta University Teaching Hospital, PMB 100, Yenagoa, Bayelsa State.
authors.forename: O G
authors.initials: OG
authors.lastname: Egbi
authors.forename: E I
authors.initials: EI
authors.lastname: Unuigbe
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D002321:Career Choice; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008511:Medicine; D009549:Nigeria; D013337:Students, Medical / Q000523:psychology*; D055815:Young Adult