Determinants of Postgraduate Medical Education Regarding Speciality and Place among North Indian Graduates: A Cross Sectional Study

Abstract

Background: Medical undergraduates are a vital source of the country’s physicians. Their preference for medical
specialties helps allocate the workforce among various medical specialties. The options for medical career
specialties have increased, parallel to expanding knowledge in different fields. Given the vast opportunities to
choose from, the factors influencing the choices of medical interns in our country need to be better understood.
Objectives: This study was conducted to know what factors influence the interns to choose the place to pursue
postgraduation.
Methods: This cross-sectional study was conducted from July 2022 to August 2022 at GMC Patiala. Out of the 203
interns of the MBBS batch 2017 batch, 199 were interviewed using an online google form.
Results: Out of the 199 participants, 73.8% of students wanted to pursue postgraduation in India. General Medicine
(77.4%) was the most preferred branch. Almost half (47.7%) of students chose the specialty during their internship.
Most participants (82%) with a family income of fewer than ten lakhs preferred to pursue Postgraduation in India.
Conclusions: Participants favored clinical medicine branches, with General Medicine being the most popular.
Family income, rather than marks, influenced the decision to pursue postgraduate studies abroad or in India. The
main reason for studying abroad was better education and a higher standard of living. At the same time, some
students preferred to stay close to home and study in India for postgraduate studies for the sake of family and
familiar surroundings.