ArticleEClinicalMedicine2020
Factors influencing medical students' choice of specialization: A gender based systematic review.
Article in EClinicalMedicine, 2020. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 82 papers.
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Who cites it
82 citing papers in PubMed, 158 citations in OpenAlex.
- Enthusiasm and structural frustration? Insights from an exploratory cross-sectional two-cohort study into career decision-making and retention factors in German neurology.BMC medical education · 2026Article
- A 20-Year Spatio-Temporal Analysis of Gender Workforce in Medical Departments of Psychiatry/Psychotherapy and Neurology in Germany.Journal of clinical medicine · 2026Article
- Breaking stereotypes or making compromises? gender, income, and the unequal landscape of medical specialty choice.BMC medical education · 2026Article
- The general practice workforce crisis in Europe: scale of the challenge and available policy responses.The Lancet. Primary care · 2026Review
- "Probably one of medicine's best kept secrets": preliminary qualitative insights into motivations and concerns regarding addiction medicine specialisation in Australasia.BMC medical education · 2026Article
- Research Survey on Recognition of Medical Oncology among Medical Students and Junior Residents in Japan.Journal of cancer education : the official journal of the American Association for Cancer Education · 2026Article
- Career choice and interdisciplinary education in forensic pathology: a cross-sectional study.BMC medical education · 2026Article
- Exploring factors influencing medical specialty choice among undergraduates in The Gambia: a situated expectancy-value theory approach.BMC medical education · 2026Article
- Not just a calling: the psychological logic of medical specialty preferences among second-year medical students in Poland.BMC medical education · 2026Article
- Career choice processes in occupational therapy, speech and language therapy, and physiotherapy: a scoping review.BMC medical education · 2026Article
- [The risk of choosing a residency in Health Sciences: a narrative review of key factors in decision-making]Revista de la Facultad de Ciencias Medicas (Cordoba, Argentina) · 2026Review
- Future doctors, future scholars: factors influencing China-educated international medical students' career intentions in primary care and academic medicine.Human resources for health · 2026Article
- Motives Influencing Arab Students' Preference for Cardiology: A Cross-sectional Multicenter Study.Annals of African medicine · 2026Article
- Specialty preferences and influencing factors among undergraduate medical students in Ain Shams University.BMC medical education · 2026Article
- Career Aspirations of Medical Students in Germany: the Impact of Gender and Type of Curriculum.Medical science educator · 2026Article
- Influence of Preclinical Medical Scribe Experiences on Specialty Outcomes in Fourth-year Medical Students.Medical science educator · 2026Article
- Motivational factors associated with intentions to pursue anesthesiology among medical students: a cross-national study.Frontiers in medicine · 2026Article
- Understanding career choices of young medical professionals in Bangladesh: a mixed-methods study.Frontiers in medicine · 2026Article
- Factors and Challenges Affecting the Research Output of Medical Students: A Mixed-Methods Study.Advances in medical education and practice · 2026Article
- Dynamics of career attractiveness and preferences among Swiss medical students: an observational study at the end of the master's program.Medical education online · 2025Observational
22 more citing papers are in PubMed but not listed here.
Corrections and comments
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Authors and funding
5 authors at 3 institutions in 1 country.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
backgroundStudents' choice of medical specialties has evolved throughout year, with a growing interest in quality of life and in technological specialties. We investigated the repartition of such choices in the world and its influencing factors with a focus on the gender's influence, for helping policy-makers to deal with medical shortage and territorial to specialty disconnect.
methodsA systematic search was conducted on MEDLINE and Scopus from January 2010 to January 2020. Data extraction and analysis followed JBI and PRISMA recommendations. The selected articles had to focus on medical students, detail their choice of specialty, and look for factors influencing their choice. Articles were excluded if they only assessed the attractiveness of a specialty, or evaluated a public policy. This review was registered on PROSPERO, CRD 42020169227.
findings751 studies were screened, and fifty-four were included. Surgery and internal medicine were the most wanted specialties, both in occidental and non-occidental countries. The main factors influencing the choice of specialty were lifestyle, work-life balance and discipline interest, with variation across different countries. Gender clearly affected this choice with 63.7% of men willing radiology and 14.7% of men in obstetrics and gynecology.
interpretationInfluential factors vary with specialty and are affected by the country of residence. Gender has a great impact in students' willingness to work in specific specialties. Policymakers should adapt their appealing strategies according to the country and the medical discipline concerned.
fundingThe authors have no support or funding to report.
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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.