Istanbul Tip Fakultesi Dergisi, cilt.84, sa.1, ss.120-129, 2021 (ESCI)
Background: Coherence between the manpower needs in healthcare and factors which determine the specialization preferences of medical faculty students (MFS) is very important for efficiency. This study examines the determinants of specialization preferences of MFSs in Istanbul. Material and Method: This cross-sectional study included all students in all classes except preparatory class (n=13,740) in medical faculties (n=19) in Istanbul. Eight hundred twenty-six students from 14 faculties were reached using a non-probability sampling method. A Likert-type questionnaire was used to determine the effects of 19 factors mentioned in academic literature. Results: Fifty eight percent of students who wanted to be a specialist were women, 58.1% were in clinical classes (CC), and 65.2% were from state universities. The branches most preferred by students were: internal medicine (n=235), ophthalmology (n=214) and pediatrics (n=208), respectively. When the branch preferences were ranked in BC and CC, neurosurgery went down 20 steps in CC and physical therapy and rehabilitation went up 13 steps. The most influential factors were "loving the branch (LB)", "personal talent/interest (PTI)", and "possibility of professional satisfaction (PPS)". However "LB" and "PPS" weren't priorities for students who wanted to specialize in biochemistry (p=0.032, p=0.005, respectively). 11 factors differed significantly between classes. Among them only "PTI" were more effective in selection of branches in BC than CC (p<0.001). The idea of conducting the profession abroad was significantly lower in CC than in basic classes (BC) (p<0.001). Conclusion: Findings such as "PTI is not a priority for CC" or "students who wanted comfortable branches are less care about LB", suggest that there may be some factors that distract students from choosing their interests.