Factors influencing the choice of surgery as a future career among medical students: a cross- sectional multi-institutional study in Edo State, Nigeria

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Exploring ways to stimulate interest in surgery to address this issue is important. Our study aimed to assess the level of interest in a surgical career and the factors influencing medical students’ career choices. Methods: We conducted a descriptive cross-sectional study among medical students in the three clinical years at three medical schools in Edo State, southern Nigeria, using a structured online questionnaire. We obtained information on the students’ sociodemographic characteristics, the popularity of surgery as a career choice and the factors that influence their decisions on a surgical career. The associations between categorical variables were determined using the chi-square test, with the significance level set at p<0.05. Results: A total of 828 out of 1091 eligible students participated in the study with a response rate of 75.9%. There were 390 (47.1%) males and 438 (52.9%) females, with a mean age of 23.25 ± 3.02 years. Among the participants, 413 (49.9%) were in year 4, 208 (25.1%) in year 5, and 207 (25%) in year 6. Overall, 47.5% of the students were interested in pursuing a surgical career, with general surgery (15.5%) and cardiothoracic and vascular surgery (15.3%) being the most popular choices. The reasons for considering surgery included the practical application of skills (94.7%), intellectual stimulation (93.1%), and immediate patient improvement (77.1%). Concerns about the busy lifestyle of surgeons (78.2%) and the lengthy duration of surgical training (63%) were major deterrents. Males were more inclined towards surgery than females (54.7% vs. 45.3%, p < 0.001). Conclusion: Surgery is a popular choice for postgraduate medical training, with many students willing to consider general surgery as a future career choice. Factors such as hands-on work, academic interest, and immediate patient improvement were important considerations for selecting surgery, while concerns about the lifestyle of surgeons deterred some students. Surgery Medical education Medical students Career choice Surgical specialties Figures Figure 1 Introduction Formal medical education begins in medical schools and progresses to specialisation and subspecialisation. During the early stages of medical education, students are exposed to various areas of the profession which influence their preferences for specific specialties [ 1 ]. The choice of a particular specialty by the medical student is a life-determining decision. Studies indicate that students generally gravitate towards clinical specialties, with those in the clinical phase finding it easier to decide on a future specialty than their preclinical counterparts [ 2 ]. The decision to choose an area of specialisation after obtaining an undergraduate degree becomes crucial, as it shapes future career paths. For many medical students, the choice of a future career can be very confusing due to the increasing number of available specialties and subspecialties. Some may find that their career preference at the time of entrance into medical school completely changes by the time they graduate [ 3 ]. Various personal and professional factors have been shown to influence the choice of a specialty. Personal factors include public perception, the impact of instructors, family influences, personal philosophy, financial concerns, personal preferences, decision-making time, negative impressions, undergraduate experience, and gender issues. Professional factors encompass residency and training concerns, working hours, work settings, extracurricular activities, work culture, and professional colleagues [ 4 , 5 ]. In Nigeria, there is a notable preference for surgery, paediatrics, obstetrics and gynaecology, and internal medicine among medical students [ 6 , 7 , 8 ]. This is not surprising, as the overall landscape of medical practice in the country seems to favour these core clinical specialties. They are the ones with the longest student clerkship duration during undergraduate training, the focus of medical internship in the country, and the placement of medical graduates for postgraduate medical training in tertiary health institutions across the country [ 7 , 8 ]. Surgery, in particular, has been traditionally viewed as an attractive specialty within the medical profession due to the teamwork, technical procedures, and the quality of care it provides to patients. Surgeons have also enjoyed significant financial reward and prestige [ 9 ]. Nonetheless, there is a growing concern about the declining interest of medical students in pursuing a career in surgery [ 10 ]. Studies from South Africa [ 11 ], Australia [ 12 ], Ireland [ 13 ], and the USA [ 14 ], have all shown a decreasing popularity of general surgery and other surgical specialties. If this trend is not addressed, it could lead to a severe shortage in the surgical workforce, especially as the population ages [ 15 ]. Several reasons have been proposed for the declining interest in surgery among medical students. They include negative perceptions of surgeon personality and lifestyle, lack of mentorship, and a hostile working environment. Additionally, the lengthy duration of surgical training programmes can deter students seeking a more expedited career path [ 16 ]. Concerns about work-life balance, demanding work hours, and time constraints also play a role in students choosing other specialties other than surgery. The demanding workload and rigorous on-call schedules in surgical specialties are often seen as intimidating and overwhelming, leading students to opt for less demanding specialties [ 17 , 18 ]. The study aimed to explore medical students’ perceptions of surgery as a potential career path and the factors that shape their career choices. Understanding the specialty preferences of medical students and the factors that impact their decision to pursue a career in surgery is important as it can provide valuable insights into the future healthcare workforce needs and address potential shortages in a country’s healthcare system. This is imperative as some specialties may become less popular among students, leading to a shortage of specialists over time [ 7 ]. Despite the anticipated shortage of surgical trainees and the growing needs for more surgeons in the workforce, there is a paucity of research assessing the factors influencing Nigerian medical students’ decision to pursue a career in surgery. Methods Study design and setting This cross-sectional study was conducted among undergraduate medical students at the Colleges of Medicine, University of Benin (UNIBEN) in Benin City, Edo South; Ambrose Alli University (AAU) in Ekpoma, Edo Central; and Edo University Iyamho (EUI) in Iyamho, Edo North, from July to December 2024. These are the three major universities in the three senatorial zones of the state. The Bachelor of Medicine, Bachelor of Surgery (MBBS) degree programme at these universities consists of six years of full-time academic and clinical study. Years one to three form the foundation where basic sciences are taught, while years four to six focus primarily on clinical teaching in various medical and surgical disciplines. Surgery is taught mainly in years four to six. Population and sampling The study population included all medical students in the three clinical years (years four, five and six), who were currently enrolled in the UNIBEN, AAU, and EUI undergraduate MBBS programme. A total population sampling technique was used to recruit consenting participants for the study. Study instrument The survey used a structured online questionnaire that was developed from previous research [ 19 – 22 ] and included closed-ended questions. The researchers carefully reviewed and refined the questionnaire items to improve clarity and usability. The questionnaire is available in Supplementary Material 1. The survey was carried out through an online platform (Google Forms). Students were invited to participate through social networks by their class representatives. The first page of the online questionnaire included a summary of the study’s goal and an informed consent form. The questionnaire focused on two areas. The first part included questions on the sociodemographic characteristics of the students, such as age, gender, marital status, year of study, surgical postings, and parents’ profession. The second part assessed the popularity of surgery as a career choice and included Likert items with statements to gauge the participants’ opinions on factors that encourage or discourage medical students from pursuing a career in surgery. These factors included social standing/perception of surgeons, remuneration, low mortality rates, longer duration of surgical training, longer working hours, male dominance in the field, attitudes of senior surgeons, lack of competent surgical training programmes, mentor/mentee influence, and family preference or influence. The participants rated the influence of these factors on their career choice of surgery. A factor was considered influential if it was rated 3 or above on a 5-point Likert scale (1-No influence, 2-Slight influence, 3-Moderate influence, 4-Strong influence, and 5-Very strong influence). Responses of 1 or 2 were considered not influential. Data analysis Data analysis was performed using Statistical Product and Service Solutions (SPSS), version 25 statistical software. The results were summarised as frequencies, means ± standard deviations, and percentages as appropriate. Pearson’s chi-square test was used for categorical variables. A p -value of < 0.05 was considered statistically significant. Result Among the 1091 eligible medical students from three major universities in Edo State, Nigeria, 828 participated in the survey, with a response rate of 75.90%. The average age of participants was 23.25 ± 3.02 years, with the majority (95.9%) being single. Females constituted 52.9% of the cohort. A significant number of students were in their 4 th year of study. A small percentage had a parent in the medical field, and 136 (16.4%) had a close relative who was a surgeon (Table 1). Table 1 Sociodemographic distribution of respondents by institution of study Variables Institution AAU (%) EUI (%) UNIBEN (%) Total (%) Total number of clinical students 398 382 311 1091 Number of Respondents 281 317 230 828 Mean age ± SD (years) 25.24 ± 2.62 21.21 ± 2.41 23.63 ± 2.43 23.25 ± 3.02 Gender Male 153 (54.40) 121 (38.20) 116 (50.40) 390 (47.10) Female 128 (45.60) 196 (61.80) 114 (49.60) 438 (52.90) Marital status Single 260 (92.50) 307 (96.80) 227 (98.70) 794 (95.90) Married 21 (7.50) 9 (2.80) 3 (1.30) 33 (4.10) Divorced 0 (0) 1 (0.30) 0 (0) 1 (0.10) Level 400 105 (37.40) 213 (67.20) 95 (41.30) 413 (49.90) 500 69 (24.60) 65 (20.50) 74 (32.20) 208 (25.10) 600 107 (38.10) 39 (12.30) 61 (26.50) 207 (25.00) Previous posting(s) in surgery Yes 281 (100.00) 317 (100.00) 230 (100.00) 828 (100.00) No 0 (0) 0 (0) 0 (0) 0 (0) 1 st degree relative who is a surgeon Yes 37 (13.20) 69 (21.80) 30 (13.00) 136 (16.40) No 244 (86.80) 248 (78.20) 200 (87.00) 692 (83.60) AAU: Ambrose Alli University; EUI: Edo University, Iyamho; UNIBEN: University of Benin A good number of students (47.5%, n=393) expressed their intention to pursue a career in surgery, while 435 (52.5%) were not interested in surgery. Table 2 illustrates the relationships between the sociodemographic characteristics of the respondents and their inclination toward a future career in surgery. There was a notable gender difference, with a greater percentage of males showing interest in a surgical career (54.7% vs. 47.1%, p < 0.001). Additionally, a significant correlation was found between the year of study of the participants and their interest in pursuing surgery, as the majority (49.9%) of those interested in surgery were fourth-year students ( p = 0.022). However, no significant associations were identified between the age of the participants, marital status, institution of study, having a parent in the medical field, or having a surgeon as a close relative and an interest in surgery. Table 2 Sociodemographic characteristics of the respondents and their career choices Variable Career in surgery p- value No n=435 (%) Yes n=393 (%) Total n=828 (%) Age ≤ 20 21-22 23-24 25-26 27-28 29-30 ≥ 31 65 (14.90) 119 (27.40) 107 (24.60) 84 (19.30) 32 (7.40) 15 (3.40) 13 (3.00) 55 (14.00) 75 (19.10) 104 (26.50) 68 (17.30) 60 (15.30) 18 (4.60) 13 (3.30) 120 (14.50) 194 (24.40) 211 (25.50) 152 (18.40) 92 (11.10) 26 (3.10) 26 (3.10) 0.072 Sex Male Female 175 (40.20) 260 (59.80) 215 (54.70) 178 (45.30) 390 (47.10) 438 (52.90) <0.001* Medical School AAU EUI UNIBEN 138 (31.70) 172 (39.50) 125 (28.70) 143 (36.40) 145 (36.90) 105 (26.70) 281 (33.90) 317 (38.30) 230 (27.80) 0.369 Level 400 500 600 198 (45.50) 123 (28.30) 114 (26.20) 215 (54.70) 85 (21.60) 93 (23.70) 413 (49.90) 208 (25.10) 207 (25.00) 0.022* Parent is a doctor No Yes 412 (94.70) 23 (5.30) 378 (47.80) 15 (3.80) 790 (95.40) 38 (4.60) 0.325 Surgeon relative No Yes 379 (87.10) 56 (12.90) 352 (89.60) 41 (10.40) 731 (88.30) 97 (11.70) 0.282 Marital Status Single Married Divorced 413 (94.90) 22 (5.10) 0 (0) 381 (96.90) 11 (2.80) 1 (0.30) 794 (95.90) 33 (4.00) 1 (0.10) 0.092 AAU: Ambrose Alli University; EUI: Edo University, Iyamho; UNIBEN: University of Benin * P < 0.05 Table 3 shows the favoured specialties for postgraduate specialisation. The majority of respondents who were not interested in surgery chose obstetrics and gynaecology (21.8%, n=95). This was followed by internal medicine (20.7%, n=90) and community medicine (11.3%, n=49). There was a significant relationship between gender and the career choices of respondents planning to pursue a career outside of surgery ( p = 0.009). Table 3 Specialty of choice for postgraduate specialisation Variable Gender p -value Male N = 390 (%) Female N = 438 (%) Total N = 828 (%) Surgery 215 (55.10) 178 (40.60) 393 (47.50) <0.001* Other specialties 174 (44.60) 261 (59.60) 435 (52.50) 0.009* Anaesthesiology 4 (1.00) 17 (3.90) Family medicine 22 (5.60) 17 (3.90) Internal medicine 44 (11.20) 46 (10.50) Obstetrics and Gynaecology 30 (7.70) 65 (14.80) Ophthalmology 10 (2.60) 20 (4.60) Paediatrics 7 (1.80) 21 (4.80) Pathology 7 (1.80) 9 (2.10) Mental health 13 (3.30) 25 (5.70) Community health 20 (5.10) 29 (6.60) Radiology 17 (4.40) 12 (2.70) * P < 0.05 Figure 1 displays the preferred surgical subspecialties among the students. General surgery was the top choice at 15.5%, followed closely by cardiothoracic and vascular surgery at 15.3%. Other popular choices included orthopaedics and traumatology (13.2%), and neurosurgery (12.2%). Plastic and reconstructive surgery, urology, and otorhinolaryngology were less preferred at 1.3% each, with 34.6% of students still undecided. Gender was a significant factor in the selection of surgical specialties ( p < 0.001), with males dominating most subspecialties except for paediatric surgery and otorhinolaryngology. The main reasons given by the students who aspire to be surgeons for choosing the specialty were the practical application of skills (94.7%), intellectual stimulation (93.1%), immediate improvement in the patients’ condition after surgical intervention (77.1%), and salary (59.3%). The presence of accessible role models/mentors and social status/prestige significantly influenced the choice of surgery among males compared to females ( p = 0.024 and p <0.001 respectively) (Table 4). Table 4 Reasons for choosing surgery for postgraduate specialisation Reasons Gender p -value Male n=215 (%) Female n=178 (%) Total n = 393 Having a surgeon as a relative 39 (18.10) 22 (12.40) 61 (15.50) 0.125 Family preference or influence 50 (23.20) 41 (23.00) 91 (23.10) >0.999 Lifestyle 116 (53.90) 79 (44.40) 195 (49.60) 0.068 Social status and prestige 129 (60.00) 75 (43.10) 204 (51.90) <0.001* Accessible role models and mentors 135 (59.70) 91 (40.30) 226 (57.50) 0.024* Expected high income 136 (63.30) 97 (54.50) 233 (59.30) 0.081 Immediate clinical improvement in patients 163 (75.80) 140 (78.60) 303 (77.10) 0.547 Intellectually stimulating /academic interest 201 (93.50) 165 (92.30) 366 (93.10) 0.845 Practical application of skills/hands-on work 208 (96.70) 164 (92.10) 372 (94.70) 0.069 * P < 0.05 Among the students who were not interested in pursuing a career in surgery (n=435), 78.2% cited a busy lifestyle and long working hours as a major reason, followed by the lengthy duration of surgical training (63%). Other reasons included the attitudes and arrogance of surgeons (40.2%), less academic interest in the field of surgery (35.6%), and a lack of role models/mentors (31%), as detailed in Table 5. Notably, 30.8% of the female respondents (n=80) identified gender discrimination as the primary negative influence that discouraged them from pursuing a surgical career ( p < 0.001). Table 5: Reasons for not wanting to specialise in surgery Reasons Gender p -value Male n=175 (%) Female n=260 (%) Total n=435 Length of training 111 (63.40) 163 (62.70) 274 (63.00) 0.842 Lack of competent surgical training program 56 (32.00) 72 (27.70) 128 (29.40) 0.456 Lack of role models/mentors 60 (34.30) 75 (28.80) 135 (31.00) 0.294 Lifestyle/working hours 134 (76.60) 206 (79.20) 340 (78.20) 0.246 Gender discrimination/male dominance 20 (11.40) 80 (30.80) 100 (23.00) <0.001* No academic interest 54 (30.90) 101 (38.80) 155 (35.60) 0.084 Salary/monetary returns 55 (31.40) 59 (22.70) 104 (23.90) 0.076 Arrogance and attitude of surgeons 72 (41.10) 103 (39.60) 175 (40.20) >0.999 * P < 0.05 Discussion Understanding the specialty preferences of medical students is crucial for predicting the future healthcare workforce in a country. Surgery was the top choice for postgraduate medical training among the students in our study, which is consistent with the findings of previous studies in Nigeria [ 7 , 8 ]. However, studies from South Africa [ 11 ], Australia [ 12 ], Ireland [ 13 ], and the USA [ 14 ] show varying levels of interest. A plausible explanation for the difference in our results may be the improved profile of the discipline of surgery in Nigeria over time. This could also be attributed to the presence of role models and the level of exposure students receive during surgical rotations in different institutions and countries. The gender and level of study of the participants were identified as significant demographic factors that shape their career aspirations, which aligns with the findings of a previous study conducted in Saudi Arabia [ 19 ]. Our study showed that a greater percentage of male students were more inclined towards pursuing a career in surgery (p < 0.001), which is consistent with the literature that highlights gender disparities in career preferences [ 4 , 8 ]. This trend may be due to women’s concerns about balancing work and family responsibilities to avoid potential conflicts between their professional and personal lives, limited flexibility in career structures, and a shortage of female role models in the surgical field. Another possible reason, as suggested in a previous study, is the presence of gender discrimination and bias in the surgical specialty [ 19 ]. Conversely, a study in Sudan revealed a different pattern, underscoring the variability of specialty choices among medical students across various countries [ 23 ]. The study found that participants’ interest was significantly influenced by their year of study(p = 0.022). Compared to those in their fourth year, students in their fifth and sixth years were less inclined to pursue surgery (Table 2 ). This could be due to the limited exposure of fourth-year students to other specialties, which might influence their career decisions at that stage. Students in the later years of study are likely to have broader exposure to various medical specialties, and their evolving training experiences could impact their future career choices. Studies from different countries have equally noted a gradual decline in medical students’ interest in pursuing surgical careers as they advance through medical school [ 16 , 20 , 24 ]. However, Grasreiner et al. reported no significant change in interest with academic year advancement in their study [ 5 ]. Notably, having a parent in the medical field or a close relative who is a surgeon did not influence their interest in surgery in this study, which contrasts with the findings of a study among pre-registration interns in Ibadan, Nigeria [ 25 ]. The level of interest in the surgical specialties of general surgery, cardiothoracic and vascular surgery, orthopaedics and traumatology, and neurosurgery in this study is comparable to that observed in Sudan, where they are the most popular subspecialties [ 23 ]. Similar to the results in the Sudanese study, this study also shows a lack of interest in paediatric surgery, plastic and reconstructive surgery, and urology compared to the strong preference for general surgery and cardiothoracic and vascular surgery. General surgery was chosen by 23.7% of respondents who selected a surgical subspecialty, contrasting with the global trend of declining interest in general surgery as a career choice [ 11 – 15 , 25 ]. The increased interest in general surgery in this study may be attributed to the significant presence of general surgery in the curriculum and the availability of general surgeons in the clinical faculty of the universities who also serve as mentors and role models for students. The geographic location of the institutions may also influence the students’ decision to embrace general surgery as their prospective career, as seen in studies on Saudi medical students in Abha and Riyadh where general surgery was the top choice for their career aspirations [ 26 , 27 ]. Despite a decreasing gender gap in surgery subspecialties worldwide [ 4 ], this study still shows a significant gender disparity, with interest by males dominating most subspecialties except for paediatric surgery and otorhinolaryngology. When the students who chose to specialise in surgery were asked the reason for their decision, they identified practical application of skills (94.7%), intellectual stimulation (93.1%), and immediate improvement in the patients’ condition after surgical intervention (77.1%) as the top reasons. These sentiments were also shared by medical students in other studies, suggesting that personal fulfilment from hands-on work and immediate results of interventions are key motivators for pursuing a career in surgery [ 19 – 22 ]. This highlights the appeal of surgery as a dynamic specialty that offers direct patient care and appreciable outcomes. It was observed in the study that male medical students were significantly more likely to choose surgery as a career because of accessible role models ( p = 0.024) and social status/prestige ( p < 0.001). Several factors have been identified in the literature that could deter medical students from selecting surgery as their specialty. These factors include the demanding lifestyles associated with surgical careers [ 17 ], rigorous on-call schedules, an overwhelming workload in surgical specialties [ 18 ], and the extended duration of residency training in surgery [ 22 , 28 ]. In our study, both male and female students identified the lifestyle of surgeons/working hours (78.2%) and the length of training (63%) as the most common barriers to pursuing a career in surgery. These findings are consistent with studies conducted within Africa and other parts of the world [ 13 , 21 , 22 ]. Many developing countries such as Nigeria are grappling with shortages of medical professionals, especially at the skilled level. These unfilled positions further strain an already overburdened medical community, leading to longer working hours, heightened stress levels, and higher rates of burnout among surgeons. A significant finding from our study is that a notable number of female students (30.8%) reported gender discrimination as a barrier to pursuing a surgical career ( p < 0.001). This highlights the persistent perception that surgery may not be inclusive of women after all. A study by Cochran et al. demonstrated that women possess high levels of self-efficacy in surgery, yet they are discouraged from its pursuit due to expected gender bias [ 29 ]. This highlights the gender-related obstacles that females face while pursuing a career in surgery and emphasizes the importance of addressing gender disparities within the surgical profession [ 22 ]. Limitations of the study Recruiting participants through social media platforms may introduce bias in the selection process, potentially excluding students who are less engaged on these platforms. Additionally, focusing solely on medical students in Edo state may limit the generalizability of the results to other regions in the country with varying religious and cultural backgrounds, as well as educational structures. Including a larger number of students from various medical schools nationwide could enhance the validity of the findings. Conclusion The findings of our study reflect a strong interest among undergraduate medical students in pursuing a career in surgery, with a notably higher level of intention reported among male students. We observed that students’ career decisions may be influenced by multiple factors, and that their specialty preferences may change as they progress through medical school. The key factors that resonated with medical students who chose a surgical career included the practical application of skills, academic interest, and the immediate impact on patients’ health following surgical interventions. However, concerns related to the lifestyle of surgeons, including their attitudes, working hours and training duration, deterred some students from choosing a surgical career. Gender bias played a significant role in dissuading some female medical students from pursuing a career in surgery. To encourage greater participation of women in the field of surgery, it is essential to address and eliminate gender discrimination by ensuring equal opportunities for females and promoting more female role models. Abbreviations UNIBEN University of Benin AAU Ambrose Alli University EUI Edo University Iyamho MBBS Bachelor of Medicine, Bachelor of Surgery SPSS Statistical Product and Service Solutions SD Standard Deviation USA United States of America Declarations Acknowledgements The authors would like to express their gratitude to all participants of the study. Authors contributions ET and JK contributed to the study’s conception and design. ET, AGT, WA and CO collected and managed data, and data analysis was performed by AGT and IMC. ET, AGT, WA and IMC took part in the interpretation of data. ET wrote all drafts of the article including the final version. All authors revised the manuscript and approved the final version. Funding This research received no external funding. Availability of data and materials The datasets used and/or analysed during the current study are available from the corresponding author on reasonable request. Ethics approval and consent to participate This study was approved by the Health Research Ethics Committee of the Ambrose Alli University, Ekpoma, Nigeria (NHREC/12/06/2013; with reference number 69/24). The study protocol was conducted in accordance with the principles described in the Declaration of Helsinki. Participation was voluntary and anonymous. All participants were fully informed and consented to their participation in the study. 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Factors influencing the choice of surgery as a career by pre-registration interns. Afr Health Sci. 2013;13(3):814-9. Mehmood SI, Kumar A, Al-Binali A, Borleffs JC. Specialty preferences: trends and perceptions among Saudi undergraduate medical students. Med Teach. 2012;34 Suppl 1:S51-60. Alsubaie N, Aldhofaian HS, Alhuwaimel L, Ruxshan N, Alghamdi F, Shamia A, Abu-Zaid A. Specialty Preferences and the Factors Influencing Them Among Pre-Clerkship Medical Students: The First Study from Alfaisal University-College of Medicine, Saudi Arabia. Cureus. 2016;8(11):e894. Yang Y, Li J, Wu X, Wang J, Li W, Zhu Y, et al. Factors influencing subspecialty choice among medical students: A systematic review and meta‑analysis. BMJ Open 2019;9:e022097. Cochran A, Hauschild T, Elder WB, Neumayer LA, Brasel KJ, Crandall ML. Perceived gender-based barriers to careers in academic surgery. Am J Surg. 2013 ;206(2):263-8. Additional Declarations No competing interests reported. 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During the early stages of medical education, students are exposed to various areas of the profession which influence their preferences for specific specialties [\u003cspan citationid=\"CR1\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e1\u003c/span\u003e]. The choice of a particular specialty by the medical student is a life-determining decision. Studies indicate that students generally gravitate towards clinical specialties, with those in the clinical phase finding it easier to decide on a future specialty than their preclinical counterparts [\u003cspan citationid=\"CR2\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2\u003c/span\u003e]. The decision to choose an area of specialisation after obtaining an undergraduate degree becomes crucial, as it shapes future career paths.\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eFor many medical students, the choice of a future career can be very confusing due to the increasing number of available specialties and subspecialties. Some may find that their career preference at the time of entrance into medical school completely changes by the time they graduate [\u003cspan citationid=\"CR3\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e3\u003c/span\u003e]. Various personal and professional factors have been shown to influence the choice of a specialty. Personal factors include public perception, the impact of instructors, family influences, personal philosophy, financial concerns, personal preferences, decision-making time, negative impressions, undergraduate experience, and gender issues. Professional factors encompass residency and training concerns, working hours, work settings, extracurricular activities, work culture, and professional colleagues [\u003cspan citationid=\"CR4\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e4\u003c/span\u003e, \u003cspan citationid=\"CR5\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e5\u003c/span\u003e].\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eIn Nigeria, there is a notable preference for surgery, paediatrics, obstetrics and gynaecology, and internal medicine among medical students [\u003cspan citationid=\"CR6\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e6\u003c/span\u003e, \u003cspan citationid=\"CR7\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e7\u003c/span\u003e, \u003cspan citationid=\"CR8\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e8\u003c/span\u003e]. This is not surprising, as the overall landscape of medical practice in the country seems to favour these core clinical specialties. They are the ones with the longest student clerkship duration during undergraduate training, the focus of medical internship in the country, and the placement of medical graduates for postgraduate medical training in tertiary health institutions across the country [\u003cspan citationid=\"CR7\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e7\u003c/span\u003e, \u003cspan citationid=\"CR8\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e8\u003c/span\u003e].\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eSurgery, in particular, has been traditionally viewed as an attractive specialty within the medical profession due to the teamwork, technical procedures, and the quality of care it provides to patients. Surgeons have also enjoyed significant financial reward and prestige [\u003cspan citationid=\"CR9\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e9\u003c/span\u003e]. Nonetheless, there is a growing concern about the declining interest of medical students in pursuing a career in surgery [\u003cspan citationid=\"CR10\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e10\u003c/span\u003e]. Studies from South Africa [\u003cspan citationid=\"CR11\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e11\u003c/span\u003e], Australia [\u003cspan citationid=\"CR12\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e12\u003c/span\u003e], Ireland [\u003cspan citationid=\"CR13\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e13\u003c/span\u003e], and the USA [\u003cspan citationid=\"CR14\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e14\u003c/span\u003e], have all shown a decreasing popularity of general surgery and other surgical specialties. If this trend is not addressed, it could lead to a severe shortage in the surgical workforce, especially as the population ages [\u003cspan citationid=\"CR15\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e15\u003c/span\u003e].\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eSeveral reasons have been proposed for the declining interest in surgery among medical students. They include negative perceptions of surgeon personality and lifestyle, lack of mentorship, and a hostile working environment. Additionally, the lengthy duration of surgical training programmes can deter students seeking a more expedited career path [\u003cspan citationid=\"CR16\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e16\u003c/span\u003e]. Concerns about work-life balance, demanding work hours, and time constraints also play a role in students choosing other specialties other than surgery. The demanding workload and rigorous on-call schedules in surgical specialties are often seen as intimidating and overwhelming, leading students to opt for less demanding specialties [\u003cspan citationid=\"CR17\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e17\u003c/span\u003e, \u003cspan citationid=\"CR18\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e18\u003c/span\u003e].\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eThe study aimed to explore medical students\u0026rsquo; perceptions of surgery as a potential career path and the factors that shape their career choices. Understanding the specialty preferences of medical students and the factors that impact their decision to pursue a career in surgery is important as it can provide valuable insights into the future healthcare workforce needs and address potential shortages in a country\u0026rsquo;s healthcare system. This is imperative as some specialties may become less popular among students, leading to a shortage of specialists over time [\u003cspan citationid=\"CR7\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e7\u003c/span\u003e]. Despite the anticipated shortage of surgical trainees and the growing needs for more surgeons in the workforce, there is a paucity of research assessing the factors influencing Nigerian medical students\u0026rsquo; decision to pursue a career in surgery.\u003c/p\u003e"},{"header":"Methods","content":"\u003cp\u003eStudy design and setting\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eThis cross-sectional study was conducted among undergraduate medical students at the Colleges of Medicine, University of Benin (UNIBEN) in Benin City, Edo South; Ambrose Alli University (AAU) in Ekpoma, Edo Central; and Edo University Iyamho (EUI) in Iyamho, Edo North, from July to December 2024. These are the three major universities in the three senatorial zones of the state. The Bachelor of Medicine, Bachelor of Surgery (MBBS) degree programme at these universities consists of six years of full-time academic and clinical study. Years one to three form the foundation where basic sciences are taught, while years four to six focus primarily on clinical teaching in various medical and surgical disciplines. Surgery is taught mainly in years four to six.\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003ePopulation and sampling\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eThe study population included all medical students in the three clinical years (years four, five and six), who were currently enrolled in the UNIBEN, AAU, and EUI undergraduate MBBS programme. A total population sampling technique was used to recruit consenting participants for the study.\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eStudy instrument\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eThe survey used a structured online questionnaire that was developed from previous research [\u003cspan additionalcitationids=\"CR20 CR21\" citationid=\"CR19\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e19\u003c/span\u003e\u0026ndash;\u003cspan citationid=\"CR22\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e22\u003c/span\u003e] and included closed-ended questions. The researchers carefully reviewed and refined the questionnaire items to improve clarity and usability. The questionnaire is available in Supplementary Material 1. The survey was carried out through an online platform (Google Forms). Students were invited to participate through social networks by their class representatives. The first page of the online questionnaire included a summary of the study\u0026rsquo;s goal and an informed consent form. The questionnaire focused on two areas. The first part included questions on the sociodemographic characteristics of the students, such as age, gender, marital status, year of study, surgical postings, and parents\u0026rsquo; profession. The second part assessed the popularity of surgery as a career choice and included Likert items with statements to gauge the participants\u0026rsquo; opinions on factors that encourage or discourage medical students from pursuing a career in surgery. These factors included social standing/perception of surgeons, remuneration, low mortality rates, longer duration of surgical training, longer working hours, male dominance in the field, attitudes of senior surgeons, lack of competent surgical training programmes, mentor/mentee influence, and family preference or influence. The participants rated the influence of these factors on their career choice of surgery. A factor was considered influential if it was rated 3 or above on a 5-point Likert scale (1-No influence, 2-Slight influence, 3-Moderate influence, 4-Strong influence, and 5-Very strong influence). Responses of 1 or 2 were considered not influential.\u003c/p\u003e \u003cdiv id=\"Sec3\" class=\"Section2\"\u003e \u003ch2\u003eData analysis\u003c/h2\u003e \u003cp\u003eData analysis was performed using Statistical Product and Service Solutions (SPSS), version 25 statistical software. The results were summarised as frequencies, means\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;standard deviations, and percentages as appropriate. Pearson\u0026rsquo;s chi-square test was used for categorical variables. A \u003cem\u003ep\u003c/em\u003e-value of \u0026lt;\u0026thinsp;0.05 was considered statistically significant.\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/div\u003e"},{"header":"Result","content":"\u003cp\u003eAmong the 1091 eligible medical students from three major universities in Edo State, Nigeria, 828 participated in the survey, with a response rate of 75.90%. The average age of participants was 23.25 \u0026plusmn; 3.02 years, with the majority (95.9%) being single. Females constituted 52.9% of the cohort. A significant number of students were in their 4\u003csup\u003eth\u003c/sup\u003e year of study. A small percentage had a parent in the medical field, and 136 (16.4%) had a close relative who was a surgeon (Table 1).\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eTable 1\u0026nbsp;Sociodemographic distribution of respondents by institution of study\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003ctable border=\"1\" cellspacing=\"0\" cellpadding=\"0\"\u003e\n \u003ctbody\u003e\n \u003ctr\u003e\n \u003ctd rowspan=\"2\" valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 225px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eVariables\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd colspan=\"4\" valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 392px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eInstitution\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003c/tr\u003e\n \u003ctr\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 94px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eAAU (%)\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 95px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eEUI (%)\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 104px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eUNIBEN (%)\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 99px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eTotal (%)\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003c/tr\u003e\n \u003ctr\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 225px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eTotal number of clinical students\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 94px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e398\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 95px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e382\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 104px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e311\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 99px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e1091\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003c/tr\u003e\n \u003ctr\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 225px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eNumber of Respondents\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 94px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e281\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 95px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e317\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 104px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e230\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 99px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e828\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003c/tr\u003e\n \u003ctr\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 225px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eMean age \u0026plusmn; SD (years)\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 94px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e25.24 \u0026plusmn; 2.62\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 95px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e21.21 \u0026plusmn; 2.41\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 104px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e23.63 \u0026plusmn; 2.43\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 99px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e23.25 \u0026plusmn; 3.02\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003c/tr\u003e\n \u003ctr\u003e\n \u003ctd colspan=\"5\" valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 616px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eGender\u0026nbsp;\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003c/tr\u003e\n \u003ctr\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 225px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eMale\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 94px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e153 (54.40)\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 95px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e121 (38.20)\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 104px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e116 (50.40)\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 99px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e390 (47.10)\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003c/tr\u003e\n \u003ctr\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 225px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eFemale\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 94px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e128 (45.60)\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 95px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e196 (61.80)\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 104px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e114 (49.60)\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 99px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e438 (52.90)\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003c/tr\u003e\n \u003ctr\u003e\n \u003ctd colspan=\"5\" valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 616px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eMarital status\u0026nbsp;\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003c/tr\u003e\n \u003ctr\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 225px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eSingle\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 94px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e260 (92.50)\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 95px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e307 (96.80)\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 104px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e227 (98.70)\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 99px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e794 (95.90)\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003c/tr\u003e\n \u003ctr\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 225px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eMarried\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 94px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e21 (7.50)\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 95px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e9 (2.80)\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 104px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e3 (1.30)\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 99px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e33 (4.10)\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003c/tr\u003e\n \u003ctr\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 225px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eDivorced\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 94px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e0 (0)\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 95px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e1 (0.30)\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 104px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e0 (0)\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 99px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e1 (0.10)\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003c/tr\u003e\n \u003ctr\u003e\n \u003ctd colspan=\"5\" valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 616px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eLevel\u0026nbsp;\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003c/tr\u003e\n \u003ctr\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 225px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e400\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 94px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e105 (37.40)\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 95px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e213 (67.20)\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 104px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e95 (41.30)\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 99px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e413 (49.90)\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003c/tr\u003e\n \u003ctr\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 225px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e500\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 94px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e69 (24.60)\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 95px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e65 (20.50)\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 104px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e74 (32.20)\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 99px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e208 (25.10)\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003c/tr\u003e\n \u003ctr\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 225px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e600\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 94px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e107 (38.10)\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 95px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e39 (12.30)\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 104px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e61 (26.50)\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 99px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e207 (25.00)\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003c/tr\u003e\n \u003ctr\u003e\n \u003ctd colspan=\"5\" valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 616px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003ePrevious posting(s) in surgery\u0026nbsp;\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003c/tr\u003e\n \u003ctr\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 225px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eYes\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 94px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e281 (100.00)\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 95px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e317 (100.00)\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 104px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e230 (100.00)\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 99px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e828 (100.00)\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003c/tr\u003e\n \u003ctr\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 225px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eNo\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 94px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e0 (0)\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 95px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e0 (0)\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 104px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e0 (0)\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 99px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e0 (0)\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003c/tr\u003e\n \u003ctr\u003e\n \u003ctd colspan=\"5\" valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 616px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e1\u003csup\u003est\u003c/sup\u003e degree relative who is a surgeon\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003c/tr\u003e\n \u003ctr\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 225px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eYes\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 94px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e37 (13.20)\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 95px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e69 (21.80)\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 104px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e30 (13.00)\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 99px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e136 (16.40)\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003c/tr\u003e\n \u003ctr\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 225px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eNo\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 94px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e244 (86.80)\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 95px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e248 (78.20)\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 104px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e200 (87.00)\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 99px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e692 (83.60)\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003c/tr\u003e\n \u003c/tbody\u003e\n\u003c/table\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eAAU: Ambrose Alli University; EUI: Edo University, Iyamho; UNIBEN: University of Benin\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eA good number of students (47.5%, n=393) expressed their intention to pursue a career in surgery, while 435 (52.5%) were not interested in surgery. Table 2 illustrates the relationships between the sociodemographic characteristics of the respondents and their inclination toward a future career in surgery. There was a notable gender difference, with a greater percentage of males showing interest in a surgical career (54.7% vs. 47.1%, \u003cem\u003ep\u003c/em\u003e \u0026lt; 0.001). Additionally, a significant correlation was found between the year of study of the participants and their interest in pursuing surgery, as the majority (49.9%) of those interested in surgery were fourth-year students (\u003cem\u003ep\u003c/em\u003e = 0.022). However, no significant associations were identified between the age of the participants, marital status, institution of study, having a parent in the medical field, or having a surgeon as a close relative and an interest in surgery.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eTable 2 Sociodemographic characteristics of the respondents and their career choices\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003ctable border=\"1\" cellspacing=\"0\" cellpadding=\"0\" width=\"560\"\u003e\n \u003ctbody\u003e\n \u003ctr\u003e\n \u003ctd rowspan=\"2\" valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 130px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eVariable\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd colspan=\"2\" valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 220px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eCareer in surgery\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 132px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd rowspan=\"2\" valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 78px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e\u003cem\u003ep-\u003c/em\u003e\u003c/strong\u003e\u003cstrong\u003evalue\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003c/tr\u003e\n \u003ctr\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 106px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eNo n=435 (%)\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 113px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eYes n=393 (%)\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 132px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eTotal n=828 (%)\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003c/tr\u003e\n \u003ctr\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 130px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eAge\u0026nbsp;\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u0026le; 20\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e21-22\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e23-24\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e25-26\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e27-28\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e29-30\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u0026ge; 31\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 106px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e65 (14.90)\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e119 (27.40)\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e107 (24.60)\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e84 (19.30)\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e32 (7.40)\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e15 (3.40)\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e13 (3.00)\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 113px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e55 (14.00)\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e75 (19.10)\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e104 (26.50)\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e68 (17.30)\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e60 (15.30)\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e18 (4.60)\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e13 (3.30)\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 132px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e120 (14.50)\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e194 (24.40)\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e211 (25.50)\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e152 (18.40)\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e92 (11.10)\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e26 (3.10)\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e26 (3.10)\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 78px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e0.072\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003c/tr\u003e\n \u003ctr\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 130px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eSex\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eMale\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eFemale\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 106px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e175 (40.20)\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e260 (59.80)\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 113px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e215 (54.70)\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e178 (45.30)\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 132px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e390 (47.10)\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e438 (52.90)\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 78px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u0026lt;0.001*\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003c/tr\u003e\n \u003ctr\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 130px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eMedical School\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eAAU\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eEUI\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eUNIBEN\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 106px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e138 (31.70)\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e172 (39.50)\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e125 (28.70)\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 113px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e143 (36.40)\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e145 (36.90)\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e105 (26.70)\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 132px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e281 (33.90)\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e317 (38.30)\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e230 (27.80)\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 78px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e0.369\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003c/tr\u003e\n \u003ctr\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 130px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eLevel\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e400\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e500\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e600\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 106px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e198 (45.50)\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e123 (28.30)\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e114 (26.20)\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 113px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e215 (54.70)\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e85 (21.60)\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e93 (23.70)\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 132px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e413 (49.90)\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e208 (25.10)\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e207 (25.00)\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 78px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e0.022*\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003c/tr\u003e\n \u003ctr\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 130px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eParent is a doctor\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eNo\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eYes\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 106px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e412 (94.70)\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e23 (5.30)\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 113px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e378 (47.80)\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e15 (3.80)\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 132px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e790 (95.40)\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e38 (4.60)\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 78px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e0.325\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003c/tr\u003e\n \u003ctr\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 130px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eSurgeon relative\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eNo\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eYes\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 106px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e379 (87.10)\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e56 (12.90)\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 113px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e352 (89.60)\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e41 (10.40)\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 132px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e731 (88.30)\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e97 (11.70)\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 78px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e0.282\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003c/tr\u003e\n \u003ctr\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 130px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eMarital Status\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eSingle\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eMarried\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eDivorced\u003cstrong\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 106px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e413 (94.90)\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e22 (5.10)\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e0 (0)\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 113px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e381 (96.90)\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e11 (2.80)\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e1 (0.30)\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 132px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e794 (95.90)\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e33 (4.00)\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e1 (0.10)\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 78px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e0.092\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003c/tr\u003e\n \u003c/tbody\u003e\n\u003c/table\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eAAU: Ambrose Alli University; EUI: Edo University, Iyamho; UNIBEN: University of Benin\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e*\u003cem\u003eP\u003c/em\u003e \u0026lt; 0.05\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eTable 3 shows the favoured specialties for postgraduate specialisation. The majority of respondents who were not interested in surgery chose obstetrics and gynaecology (21.8%, n=95). This was followed by internal medicine (20.7%, n=90) and community medicine (11.3%, n=49). There was a significant relationship between gender and the career choices of respondents planning to pursue a career outside of surgery (\u003cem\u003ep\u003c/em\u003e = 0.009).\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eTable 3\u0026nbsp;Specialty of choice for postgraduate specialisation\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003ctable border=\"1\" cellspacing=\"0\" cellpadding=\"0\"\u003e\n \u003ctbody\u003e\n \u003ctr\u003e\n \u003ctd rowspan=\"2\" valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 201px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eVariable\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd colspan=\"3\" valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 322px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eGender\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd rowspan=\"2\" valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 79px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e\u003cem\u003ep\u003c/em\u003e\u003c/strong\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e-value\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003c/tr\u003e\n \u003ctr\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 110px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eMale\u0026nbsp;\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eN = 390 (%)\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 111px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eFemale\u0026nbsp;\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eN = 438 (%)\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 101px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eTotal\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eN = 828 (%)\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003c/tr\u003e\n \u003ctr\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 201px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eSurgery\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 110px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e215 (55.10)\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 111px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e178 (40.60)\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 101px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e393 (47.50)\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 79px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u0026lt;0.001*\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003c/tr\u003e\n \u003ctr\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 201px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eOther specialties\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 110px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e174 (44.60)\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 111px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e261 (59.60)\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 101px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e435 (52.50)\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd rowspan=\"11\" valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 79px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u0026nbsp; 0.009*\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003c/tr\u003e\n \u003ctr\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 201px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eAnaesthesiology\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 110px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e4 (1.00)\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 111px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e17 (3.90)\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 101px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003c/tr\u003e\n \u003ctr\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 201px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eFamily medicine\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 110px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e22 (5.60)\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 111px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e17 (3.90)\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 101px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003c/tr\u003e\n \u003ctr\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 201px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eInternal medicine\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 110px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e44 (11.20)\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 111px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e46 (10.50)\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 101px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003c/tr\u003e\n \u003ctr\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 201px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eObstetrics and Gynaecology\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 110px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e30 (7.70)\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 111px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e65 (14.80)\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 101px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003c/tr\u003e\n \u003ctr\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 201px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eOphthalmology\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 110px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e10 (2.60)\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 111px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e20 (4.60)\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 101px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003c/tr\u003e\n \u003ctr\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 201px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003ePaediatrics\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 110px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e7 (1.80)\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 111px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e21 (4.80)\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 101px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003c/tr\u003e\n \u003ctr\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 201px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003ePathology\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 110px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e7 (1.80)\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 111px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e9 (2.10)\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 101px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003c/tr\u003e\n \u003ctr\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 201px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eMental health\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 110px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e13 (3.30)\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 111px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e25 (5.70)\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 101px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003c/tr\u003e\n \u003ctr\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 201px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eCommunity health\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 110px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e20 (5.10)\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 111px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e29 (6.60)\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 101px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003c/tr\u003e\n \u003ctr\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 201px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eRadiology\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 110px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e17 (4.40)\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 111px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e12 (2.70)\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 101px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003c/tr\u003e\n \u003c/tbody\u003e\n\u003c/table\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e*\u003cem\u003eP\u003c/em\u003e \u0026lt; 0.05\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eFigure 1 displays the preferred surgical subspecialties among the students. General surgery was the top choice at 15.5%, followed closely by cardiothoracic and vascular surgery at 15.3%. Other popular choices included orthopaedics and traumatology (13.2%), and neurosurgery (12.2%). Plastic and reconstructive surgery, urology, and otorhinolaryngology were less preferred at 1.3% each, with 34.6% of students still undecided. Gender was a significant factor in the selection of surgical specialties (\u003cem\u003ep\u003c/em\u003e \u0026lt; 0.001), with males dominating most subspecialties except for paediatric surgery and otorhinolaryngology.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u0026nbsp;The main reasons given by the students who aspire to be surgeons for choosing the specialty were the practical application of skills (94.7%), intellectual stimulation (93.1%), immediate improvement in the patients\u0026rsquo; condition after surgical intervention (77.1%), and salary (59.3%). The presence of accessible role models/mentors and social status/prestige significantly influenced the choice of surgery among males compared to females (\u003cem\u003ep\u003c/em\u003e = 0.024 and \u003cem\u003ep\u003c/em\u003e \u0026lt;0.001 respectively) (Table 4).\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eTable 4\u0026nbsp;Reasons for choosing surgery for postgraduate specialisation\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003ctable border=\"1\" cellspacing=\"0\" cellpadding=\"0\" width=\"599\"\u003e\n \u003ctbody\u003e\n \u003ctr\u003e\n \u003ctd rowspan=\"2\" valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 147px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eReasons\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd colspan=\"2\" valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 266px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e\u0026nbsp; \u0026nbsp; \u0026nbsp; \u0026nbsp; \u0026nbsp; \u0026nbsp; \u0026nbsp; \u0026nbsp; \u0026nbsp; \u0026nbsp; \u0026nbsp; \u0026nbsp; \u0026nbsp;Gender\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 114px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd rowspan=\"2\" valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 70px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e\u003cem\u003ep\u003c/em\u003e\u003c/strong\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e-value\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003c/tr\u003e\n \u003ctr\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 134px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eMale n=215 (%)\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 132px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eFemale n=178 (%)\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 114px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eTotal n = 393\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003c/tr\u003e\n \u003ctr\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 147px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eHaving a surgeon as a relative\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 134px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e39 (18.10)\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 132px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e22 (12.40)\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 114px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e61 (15.50)\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 70px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e0.125\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003c/tr\u003e\n \u003ctr\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 147px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eFamily preference or influence\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 134px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e50 (23.20)\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 132px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e41 (23.00)\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 114px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e91 (23.10)\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 70px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u0026gt;0.999\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003c/tr\u003e\n \u003ctr\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 147px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eLifestyle\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 134px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e116 (53.90)\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 132px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e79 (44.40)\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 114px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e195 (49.60)\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 70px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e0.068\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003c/tr\u003e\n \u003ctr\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 147px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eSocial status and prestige\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 134px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e129 (60.00)\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 132px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e75 (43.10)\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 114px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e204 (51.90)\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 70px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u0026lt;0.001*\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003c/tr\u003e\n \u003ctr\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 147px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eAccessible role models and mentors\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 134px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e135 (59.70)\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 132px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e91 (40.30)\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 114px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e226 (57.50)\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 70px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e0.024*\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003c/tr\u003e\n \u003ctr\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 147px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eExpected high income\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 134px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e136 (63.30)\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 132px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e97 (54.50)\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 114px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e233 (59.30)\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 70px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e0.081\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003c/tr\u003e\n \u003ctr\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 147px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eImmediate clinical \u0026nbsp;improvement in patients\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 134px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e163 (75.80)\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 132px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e140 (78.60)\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 114px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e303 (77.10)\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 70px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e0.547\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003c/tr\u003e\n \u003ctr\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 147px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eIntellectually stimulating /academic interest\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 134px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e201 (93.50)\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 132px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e165 (92.30)\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 114px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e366 (93.10)\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 70px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e0.845\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003c/tr\u003e\n \u003ctr\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 147px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003ePractical application of skills/hands-on work\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 134px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e208 (96.70)\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 132px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e164 (92.10)\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 114px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e372 (94.70)\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 70px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e0.069\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003c/tr\u003e\n \u003c/tbody\u003e\n\u003c/table\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e*\u003cem\u003eP\u003c/em\u003e \u0026lt; 0.05\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eAmong the students who were not interested in pursuing a career in surgery (n=435), 78.2% cited a busy lifestyle and long working hours as a major reason, followed by the lengthy duration of surgical training (63%). Other reasons included the attitudes and arrogance of surgeons (40.2%), less academic interest in the field of surgery (35.6%), and a lack of role models/mentors (31%), as detailed in Table 5. Notably, 30.8% of the female respondents (n=80) identified gender discrimination as the primary negative influence that discouraged them from pursuing a surgical career (\u003cem\u003ep\u003c/em\u003e \u0026lt; 0.001).\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eTable 5: Reasons for not wanting to specialise in surgery\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003ctable border=\"1\" cellspacing=\"0\" cellpadding=\"0\" width=\"625\"\u003e\n \u003ctbody\u003e\n \u003ctr\u003e\n \u003ctd rowspan=\"2\" valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 227px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eReasons\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd colspan=\"2\" valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 227px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e\u0026nbsp; \u0026nbsp; \u0026nbsp; \u0026nbsp; \u0026nbsp; \u0026nbsp; \u0026nbsp;Gender\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd colspan=\"2\" valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 101px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd rowspan=\"2\" valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 70px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e\u003cem\u003ep\u003c/em\u003e\u003c/strong\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e-value\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003c/tr\u003e\n \u003ctr\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 107px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eMale\u0026nbsp;\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003en=175 (%)\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd colspan=\"2\" valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 129px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eFemale\u0026nbsp;\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003en=260 (%)\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 92px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eTotal n=435\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003c/tr\u003e\n \u003ctr\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 227px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eLength of training\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 107px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e111 (63.40)\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 120px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e163 (62.70)\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd colspan=\"2\" valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 101px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e274 (63.00)\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 70px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e0.842\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003c/tr\u003e\n \u003ctr\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 227px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eLack of competent surgical training program\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 107px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e56 (32.00)\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 120px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e72 (27.70)\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd colspan=\"2\" valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 101px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e128 (29.40)\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 70px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e0.456\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003c/tr\u003e\n \u003ctr\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 227px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eLack of role models/mentors\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 107px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e60 (34.30)\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 120px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e75 (28.80)\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd colspan=\"2\" valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 101px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e135 (31.00)\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 70px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e0.294\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003c/tr\u003e\n \u003ctr\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 227px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eLifestyle/working hours\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 107px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e134 (76.60)\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 120px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e206 (79.20)\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd colspan=\"2\" valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 101px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e340 (78.20)\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 70px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e0.246\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003c/tr\u003e\n \u003ctr\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 227px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eGender discrimination/male dominance\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 107px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e20 (11.40)\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 120px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e80 (30.80)\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd colspan=\"2\" valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 101px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e100 (23.00)\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 70px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u0026lt;0.001*\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003c/tr\u003e\n \u003ctr\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 227px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eNo academic interest\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 107px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e54 (30.90)\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 120px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e101 (38.80)\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd colspan=\"2\" valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 101px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e155 (35.60)\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 70px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e0.084\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003c/tr\u003e\n \u003ctr\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 227px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eSalary/monetary returns\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 107px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e55 (31.40)\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 120px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e59 (22.70)\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd colspan=\"2\" valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 101px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e104 (23.90)\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 70px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e0.076\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003c/tr\u003e\n \u003ctr\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 227px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eArrogance and attitude of surgeons\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 107px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e72 (41.10)\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 120px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e103 (39.60)\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd colspan=\"2\" valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 101px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e175 (40.20)\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 70px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u0026gt;0.999\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003c/tr\u003e\n \u003c/tbody\u003e\n\u003c/table\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e*\u003cem\u003eP\u003c/em\u003e \u0026lt; 0.05\u003c/p\u003e"},{"header":"Discussion","content":"\u003cp\u003eUnderstanding the specialty preferences of medical students is crucial for predicting the future healthcare workforce in a country. Surgery was the top choice for postgraduate medical training among the students in our study, which is consistent with the findings of previous studies in Nigeria [\u003cspan citationid=\"CR7\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e7\u003c/span\u003e, \u003cspan citationid=\"CR8\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e8\u003c/span\u003e]. However, studies from South Africa [\u003cspan citationid=\"CR11\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e11\u003c/span\u003e], Australia [\u003cspan citationid=\"CR12\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e12\u003c/span\u003e], Ireland [\u003cspan citationid=\"CR13\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e13\u003c/span\u003e], and the USA [\u003cspan citationid=\"CR14\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e14\u003c/span\u003e] show varying levels of interest. A plausible explanation for the difference in our results may be the improved profile of the discipline of surgery in Nigeria over time. This could also be attributed to the presence of role models and the level of exposure students receive during surgical rotations in different institutions and countries.\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eThe gender and level of study of the participants were identified as significant demographic factors that shape their career aspirations, which aligns with the findings of a previous study conducted in Saudi Arabia [\u003cspan citationid=\"CR19\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e19\u003c/span\u003e]. Our study showed that a greater percentage of male students were more inclined towards pursuing a career in surgery (p\u0026thinsp;\u0026lt;\u0026thinsp;0.001), which is consistent with the literature that highlights gender disparities in career preferences [\u003cspan citationid=\"CR4\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e4\u003c/span\u003e, \u003cspan citationid=\"CR8\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e8\u003c/span\u003e]. This trend may be due to women\u0026rsquo;s concerns about balancing work and family responsibilities to avoid potential conflicts between their professional and personal lives, limited flexibility in career structures, and a shortage of female role models in the surgical field. Another possible reason, as suggested in a previous study, is the presence of gender discrimination and bias in the surgical specialty [\u003cspan citationid=\"CR19\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e19\u003c/span\u003e]. Conversely, a study in Sudan revealed a different pattern, underscoring the variability of specialty choices among medical students across various countries [\u003cspan citationid=\"CR23\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e23\u003c/span\u003e].\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eThe study found that participants\u0026rsquo; interest was significantly influenced by their year of study(p\u0026thinsp;=\u0026thinsp;0.022). Compared to those in their fourth year, students in their fifth and sixth years were less inclined to pursue surgery (Table\u0026nbsp;\u003cspan refid=\"Tab2\" class=\"InternalRef\"\u003e2\u003c/span\u003e). This could be due to the limited exposure of fourth-year students to other specialties, which might influence their career decisions at that stage. Students in the later years of study are likely to have broader exposure to various medical specialties, and their evolving training experiences could impact their future career choices. Studies from different countries have equally noted a gradual decline in medical students\u0026rsquo; interest in pursuing surgical careers as they advance through medical school [\u003cspan citationid=\"CR16\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e16\u003c/span\u003e, \u003cspan citationid=\"CR20\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e20\u003c/span\u003e, \u003cspan citationid=\"CR24\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e24\u003c/span\u003e]. However, Grasreiner et al. reported no significant change in interest with academic year advancement in their study [\u003cspan citationid=\"CR5\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e5\u003c/span\u003e]. Notably, having a parent in the medical field or a close relative who is a surgeon did not influence their interest in surgery in this study, which contrasts with the findings of a study among pre-registration interns in Ibadan, Nigeria [\u003cspan citationid=\"CR25\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e25\u003c/span\u003e].\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eThe level of interest in the surgical specialties of general surgery, cardiothoracic and vascular surgery, orthopaedics and traumatology, and neurosurgery in this study is comparable to that observed in Sudan, where they are the most popular subspecialties [\u003cspan citationid=\"CR23\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e23\u003c/span\u003e]. Similar to the results in the Sudanese study, this study also shows a lack of interest in paediatric surgery, plastic and reconstructive surgery, and urology compared to the strong preference for general surgery and cardiothoracic and vascular surgery. General surgery was chosen by 23.7% of respondents who selected a surgical subspecialty, contrasting with the global trend of declining interest in general surgery as a career choice [\u003cspan additionalcitationids=\"CR12 CR13 CR14\" citationid=\"CR11\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e11\u003c/span\u003e\u0026ndash;\u003cspan citationid=\"CR15\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e15\u003c/span\u003e, \u003cspan citationid=\"CR25\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e25\u003c/span\u003e]. The increased interest in general surgery in this study may be attributed to the significant presence of general surgery in the curriculum and the availability of general surgeons in the clinical faculty of the universities who also serve as mentors and role models for students. The geographic location of the institutions may also influence the students\u0026rsquo; decision to embrace general surgery as their prospective career, as seen in studies on Saudi medical students in Abha and Riyadh where general surgery was the top choice for their career aspirations [\u003cspan citationid=\"CR26\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e26\u003c/span\u003e, \u003cspan citationid=\"CR27\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e27\u003c/span\u003e]. Despite a decreasing gender gap in surgery subspecialties worldwide [\u003cspan citationid=\"CR4\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e4\u003c/span\u003e], this study still shows a significant gender disparity, with interest by males dominating most subspecialties except for paediatric surgery and otorhinolaryngology.\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eWhen the students who chose to specialise in surgery were asked the reason for their decision, they identified practical application of skills (94.7%), intellectual stimulation (93.1%), and immediate improvement in the patients\u0026rsquo; condition after surgical intervention (77.1%) as the top reasons. These sentiments were also shared by medical students in other studies, suggesting that personal fulfilment from hands-on work and immediate results of interventions are key motivators for pursuing a career in surgery [\u003cspan additionalcitationids=\"CR20 CR21\" citationid=\"CR19\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e19\u003c/span\u003e\u0026ndash;\u003cspan citationid=\"CR22\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e22\u003c/span\u003e]. This highlights the appeal of surgery as a dynamic specialty that offers direct patient care and appreciable outcomes. It was observed in the study that male medical students were significantly more likely to choose surgery as a career because of accessible role models (\u003cem\u003ep\u003c/em\u003e\u0026thinsp;=\u0026thinsp;0.024) and social status/prestige (\u003cem\u003ep\u003c/em\u003e\u0026thinsp;\u0026lt;\u0026thinsp;0.001).\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eSeveral factors have been identified in the literature that could deter medical students from selecting surgery as their specialty. These factors include the demanding lifestyles associated with surgical careers [\u003cspan citationid=\"CR17\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e17\u003c/span\u003e], rigorous on-call schedules, an overwhelming workload in surgical specialties [\u003cspan citationid=\"CR18\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e18\u003c/span\u003e], and the extended duration of residency training in surgery [\u003cspan citationid=\"CR22\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e22\u003c/span\u003e, \u003cspan citationid=\"CR28\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e28\u003c/span\u003e]. In our study, both male and female students identified the lifestyle of surgeons/working hours (78.2%) and the length of training (63%) as the most common barriers to pursuing a career in surgery. These findings are consistent with studies conducted within Africa and other parts of the world [\u003cspan citationid=\"CR13\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e13\u003c/span\u003e, \u003cspan citationid=\"CR21\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e21\u003c/span\u003e, \u003cspan citationid=\"CR22\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e22\u003c/span\u003e]. Many developing countries such as Nigeria are grappling with shortages of medical professionals, especially at the skilled level. These unfilled positions further strain an already overburdened medical community, leading to longer working hours, heightened stress levels, and higher rates of burnout among surgeons.\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eA significant finding from our study is that a notable number of female students (30.8%) reported gender discrimination as a barrier to pursuing a surgical career (\u003cem\u003ep\u003c/em\u003e\u0026thinsp;\u0026lt;\u0026thinsp;0.001). This highlights the persistent perception that surgery may not be inclusive of women after all. A study by Cochran et al. demonstrated that women possess high levels of self-efficacy in surgery, yet they are discouraged from its pursuit due to expected gender bias [\u003cspan citationid=\"CR29\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e29\u003c/span\u003e]. This highlights the gender-related obstacles that females face while pursuing a career in surgery and emphasizes the importance of addressing gender disparities within the surgical profession [\u003cspan citationid=\"CR22\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e22\u003c/span\u003e].\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003ch3\u003eLimitations of the study\u003c/h3\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eRecruiting participants through social media platforms may introduce bias in the selection process, potentially excluding students who are less engaged on these platforms. Additionally, focusing solely on medical students in Edo state may limit the generalizability of the results to other regions in the country with varying religious and cultural backgrounds, as well as educational structures. Including a larger number of students from various medical schools nationwide could enhance the validity of the findings.\u003c/p\u003e"},{"header":"Conclusion","content":"\u003cp\u003eThe findings of our study reflect a strong interest among undergraduate medical students in pursuing a career in surgery, with a notably higher level of intention reported among male students. We observed that students\u0026rsquo; career decisions may be influenced by multiple factors, and that their specialty preferences may change as they progress through medical school. The key factors that resonated with medical students who chose a surgical career included the practical application of skills, academic interest, and the immediate impact on patients\u0026rsquo; health following surgical interventions. However, concerns related to the lifestyle of surgeons, including their attitudes, working hours and training duration, deterred some students from choosing a surgical career. Gender bias played a significant role in dissuading some female medical students from pursuing a career in surgery. To encourage greater participation of women in the field of surgery, it is essential to address and eliminate gender discrimination by ensuring equal opportunities for females and promoting more female role models.\u003c/p\u003e"},{"header":"Abbreviations","content":"\u003cp\u003eUNIBEN \u0026nbsp; \u0026nbsp; University of Benin\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eAAU \u0026nbsp; \u0026nbsp; \u0026nbsp; \u0026nbsp; \u0026nbsp; \u0026nbsp;Ambrose Alli University\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eEUI \u0026nbsp; \u0026nbsp; \u0026nbsp; \u0026nbsp; \u0026nbsp; \u0026nbsp; \u0026nbsp;Edo University Iyamho\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eMBBS \u0026nbsp; \u0026nbsp; \u0026nbsp; \u0026nbsp; \u0026nbsp;Bachelor of Medicine, Bachelor of Surgery\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eSPSS \u0026nbsp; \u0026nbsp; \u0026nbsp; \u0026nbsp; \u0026nbsp; \u0026nbsp;Statistical Product and Service Solutions\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eSD \u0026nbsp; \u0026nbsp; \u0026nbsp; \u0026nbsp; \u0026nbsp; \u0026nbsp; \u0026nbsp; \u0026nbsp;Standard Deviation\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eUSA \u0026nbsp; \u0026nbsp; \u0026nbsp; \u0026nbsp; \u0026nbsp; \u0026nbsp; United States of America\u003c/p\u003e"},{"header":"Declarations","content":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eAcknowledgements\u0026nbsp;\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe authors would like to express their gratitude to all participants of the study.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eAuthors contributions\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eET and JK contributed to the study\u0026rsquo;s conception and design. ET, AGT, WA and CO collected and managed data, and data analysis was performed by AGT and IMC. ET, AGT, WA and IMC took part in the interpretation of data. ET wrote all drafts of the article including the final version. All authors revised the manuscript and approved the final version.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eFunding\u0026nbsp;\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThis research received no external funding.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eAvailability of data and materials\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe datasets used and/or analysed during the current study are available from the corresponding author on reasonable request.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eEthics approval and consent to participate\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThis study was approved by the Health Research Ethics Committee of the Ambrose Alli University, Ekpoma, Nigeria (NHREC/12/06/2013; with reference number 69/24). The study protocol was conducted in accordance with the principles described in the Declaration of Helsinki. Participation was voluntary and anonymous. \u0026nbsp;All participants were fully informed and consented to their participation in the study. The collaborators adhered to the ethical requirements of their institution.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eConsent for publication\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eNot applicable.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eCompeting interests\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe authors declare that they have no competing interests.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eClinical trial number\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eNot applicable.\u003c/p\u003e"},{"header":"References","content":"\u003col\u003e\n \u003cli\u003eKhader Y, Al-Zoubi D, Amarin Z, Alkafagei A, Khasawneh M, Burgan S, et al. Factors affecting medical students in formulating their specialty preferences in Jordan. BMC Med Educ. 2008; 8: 32.\u003c/li\u003e\n \u003cli\u003eKumar A, Mitra K, Nagarajan S, Poudel B. Factors influencing medical students\u0026rsquo; 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. N Am J Med Sci. 2014; 6: 119-25.\u003c/li\u003e\n \u003cli\u003eMann-Isah NA, Ameen N, Jassim G. Career choices among medical students and factors influencing their choices. Glob J Health Sci. 2019;11:132.\u003c/li\u003e\n \u003cli\u003eAlyazidi AS, Gaddoury MA, Alotibi FA, Aljehani KM, Ahmed RA, Alhudaifi SA, et al. The determining factors of medical students in considering a specialty as a future career path: A cross-sectional multinational study in the Middle East. J Family Med Prim Care. 2023; 12: 2622-34.\u003c/li\u003e\n \u003cli\u003eGrasreiner D, Dahmen U, Settmacher U. Specialty preferences and influencing factors: a repeated cross-sectional survey of first- to sixth- year medical students in Jena, Germany. BMC Med Educ. 2018; 9: 103.\u003c/li\u003e\n \u003cli\u003eEke BA, Ojo BA, Elachi IC, Yongo WT, Soo C, Ugwu VI, Umobong EO, Shorun GO, Abayol P. Surgery as a Career Choice among Medical Undergraduates in a Developing Country. J Adv Med Med Res. 2017;19(9):1-6.\u003c/li\u003e\n \u003cli\u003eFalase B, Olufemi S, Adeleye AF, Amogbonjaye AO, Sunmola S, Olaiya A, et al. Career choices and determining factors among final year medical students in Lagos Nigeria. Niger J Med. 2022;31:390-5.\u003c/li\u003e\n \u003cli\u003eOssai EN, Uwakwe KA, Anyanwagu UC, Ibiok NC, Azuogu BN, Ekeke N. Specialty preferences among final year medical students in medical schools of southeast Nigeria: need for career guidance. BMC Med Educ. 2016;16(1):259.\u003c/li\u003e\n \u003cli\u003eAzizzadeh A, McCollum CH, Miller CC 3rd, Holliday KM, Shilstone HC, Lucci A Jr. Factors influencing career choice among medical students interested in surgery. Curr Surg. 2003;60(2):210-3.\u003c/li\u003e\n \u003cli\u003eGlynn RW, Kerin MJ. Factors influencing medical students and junior doctors in choosing a career in surgery. Surgeon. 2010; 8: 187-91.\u003c/li\u003e\n \u003cli\u003eKahn D, Pillay S, Veller MG, Panieri E, Westcott MJ. General surgery in crisis- the critical shortage. S Afr J Surg. 2006; 44: 88-92.\u003c/li\u003e\n \u003cli\u003eDolan-Evans E, Rogers GD. Barriers for students pursuing a surgical career and where the Surgical interest Association can intervene. ANZ J Surg. 2014; 84: 406-11.\u003c/li\u003e\n \u003cli\u003eBoyle E, Healy D, Hill AD, O\u0026rsquo;Connell PR, Kerin M, McHugh S, et al. Career choices of today\u0026rsquo;s medical students: where does surgery rank? Ir J Med Sci. 2013; 182: 337-43.\u003c/li\u003e\n \u003cli\u003eHill EJR, Bowman KA, Stalmeijer RE, Solomon Y, Dornan T. Can I cut it? Medical students\u0026rsquo; perception of surgeons and surgical careers. Am J Surg. 2014; 208: 860-867.\u003c/li\u003e\n \u003cli\u003eScott IM, Matejcek AN, Gowans MC, Wright BJ, Brenneis FR. Choosing a career in surgery: factors that influence Canadian medical students\u0026rsquo; interest in pursuing a surgical career. Can J Surg. 2008; 51: 371-7.\u003c/li\u003e\n \u003cli\u003ePeel JK, Schlachta CM, Alkhamesi NA. A systematic review of the factors affecting choice of surgery as a career. Can J Surg. 2018;61(1):58-67.\u003c/li\u003e\n \u003cli\u003eChang PY, Hung CY, Wang KI, Huang YH, Chang KJ. Factors influencing medical students\u0026apos; choice of specialty. J Formos Med Assoc. 2006;105(6):489-96.\u003c/li\u003e\n \u003cli\u003eZhang YJ, Yuan K, Chang SH, Yan W, Que JY, Deng JH, et al. Career choice and influential factors among medical students majoring in psychiatry in China. BMC Med Educ. 2021;21:183.\u003c/li\u003e\n \u003cli\u003eAl-Faifi JJ, Alsarar SA, Bayamin RA, Alkhaldi RA, Hawsawi HS, Alromih AM, Alnajdi RS. Factors Influencing Medical Students\u0026apos; Decision in Choosing a Surgical Specialty. Cureus. 2024;16(9):e70416.\u003c/li\u003e\n \u003cli\u003eZaheer F, Rehman HU, Fareed W, Khan MO, Rizvi SAH. Factors Affecting the Choice of a Career in the Field of Surgery Among Medical Students of Karachi. Cureus. 2018;10(11):e3542.\u003c/li\u003e\n \u003cli\u003eScott AJ, Kahn D. Factors influencing medical students in pursuing a career in surgery: a cross-sectional survey. S Afr J Surg. 2017;55(2):24-30.\u003c/li\u003e\n \u003cli\u003eHulaibi MA, Mashbari H, Abuallut I, AlGhamdi A, Najmi A, Majrashi R, et al. Exploring the factors influencing medical students\u0026rsquo; decision-making in pursuing surgical career paths at Jazan University, Saudi Arabia. Hail J Health Sci. 2024;6:62-70.\u003c/li\u003e\n \u003cli\u003eAlawad AA, Khan WS, Abdelrazig YM, Elzain YI, Khalil HO, Elsayed OB, Adam OA. Surgery as a career choice among medical students at University of Medical Sciences and Technology. Sudan Med J. 2014;50(1):26-31.\u003c/li\u003e\n \u003cli\u003eSkorus U, Karpińska I, Kominko A, Romaniszyn M. Why do Polish medical students resign from pursuing surgical careers? A survey study. Pol Przegl Chir. 2020 ;92(2):12-21.\u003c/li\u003e\n \u003cli\u003eLawal TA, Afolabi AO. Factors influencing the choice of surgery as a career by pre-registration interns. Afr Health Sci. 2013;13(3):814-9.\u003c/li\u003e\n \u003cli\u003eMehmood SI, Kumar A, Al-Binali A, Borleffs JC. Specialty preferences: trends and perceptions among Saudi undergraduate medical students. Med Teach. 2012;34 Suppl 1:S51-60.\u003c/li\u003e\n \u003cli\u003eAlsubaie N, Aldhofaian HS, Alhuwaimel L, Ruxshan N, Alghamdi F, Shamia A, Abu-Zaid A. Specialty Preferences and the Factors Influencing Them Among Pre-Clerkship Medical Students: The First Study from Alfaisal University-College of Medicine, Saudi Arabia. Cureus. 2016;8(11):e894.\u003c/li\u003e\n \u003cli\u003eYang Y, Li J, Wu X, Wang J, Li W, Zhu Y, et al. Factors influencing subspecialty choice among medical students: A systematic review and meta‑analysis. BMJ Open 2019;9:e022097.\u003c/li\u003e\n \u003cli\u003eCochran A, Hauschild T, Elder WB, Neumayer LA, Brasel KJ, Crandall ML. Perceived gender-based barriers to careers in academic surgery. Am J Surg. 2013 ;206(2):263-8.\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003c/ol\u003e"}],"fulltextSource":"","fullText":"","funders":[],"hasAdminPriorityOnWorkflow":false,"hasManuscriptDocX":true,"hasOptedInToPreprint":true,"hasPassedJournalQc":"","hasAnyPriority":false,"hideJournal":true,"highlight":"","institution":"","isAcceptedByJournal":false,"isAuthorSuppliedPdf":false,"isDeskRejected":"","isHiddenFromSearch":false,"isInQc":false,"isInWorkflow":false,"isPdf":false,"isPdfUpToDate":true,"isWithdrawnOrRetracted":false,"journal":{"display":true,"email":"[email protected]","identity":"researchsquare","isNatureJournal":false,"hasQc":true,"allowDirectSubmit":true,"externalIdentity":"","sideBox":"","snPcode":"","submissionUrl":"/submission","title":"Research Square","twitterHandle":"researchsquare","acdcEnabled":true,"dfaEnabled":false,"editorialSystem":"","reportingPortfolio":"","inReviewEnabled":false,"inReviewRevisionsEnabled":true},"keywords":"Surgery, Medical education, Medical students, Career choice, Surgical specialties","lastPublishedDoi":"10.21203/rs.3.rs-6306992/v1","lastPublishedDoiUrl":"https://doi.org/10.21203/rs.3.rs-6306992/v1","license":{"name":"CC BY 4.0","url":"https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/"},"manuscriptAbstract":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eBackground: \u003c/strong\u003eThere are concerns in some countries about a possible decline in interest among medical students in pursuing a career in surgery. Exploring ways to stimulate interest in surgery to address this issue is important. Our study aimed to assess the level of interest in a surgical career and the factors influencing medical students’ career choices.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eMethods:\u003c/strong\u003eWe conducted a descriptive cross-sectional study among medical students in the three clinical years at three medical schools in Edo State, southern Nigeria, using a structured online questionnaire. We obtained information on the students’ sociodemographic characteristics, the popularity of surgery as a career choice and the factors that influence their decisions on a surgical career. The associations between categorical variables were determined using the chi-square test, with the significance level set at p\u0026lt;0.05.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eResults:\u003c/strong\u003eA total of 828 out of 1091 eligible students participated in the study with a response rate of 75.9%. There were 390 (47.1%) males and 438 (52.9%) females, with a mean age of 23.25 ± 3.02 years. Among the participants, 413 (49.9%) were in year 4, 208 (25.1%) in year 5, and 207 (25%) in year 6. Overall, 47.5% of the students were interested in pursuing a surgical career, with general surgery (15.5%) and cardiothoracic and vascular surgery (15.3%) being the most popular choices. The reasons for considering surgery included the practical application of skills (94.7%), intellectual stimulation (93.1%), and immediate patient improvement (77.1%). Concerns about the busy lifestyle of surgeons (78.2%) and the lengthy duration of surgical training (63%) were major deterrents. Males were more inclined towards surgery than females (54.7% vs. 45.3%, p \u0026lt; 0.001).\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eConclusion: \u003c/strong\u003eSurgery is a popular choice for postgraduate medical training, with many students willing to consider general surgery as a future career choice. Factors such as hands-on work, academic interest, and immediate patient improvement were important considerations for selecting surgery, while concerns about the lifestyle of surgeons deterred some students.\u003c/p\u003e","manuscriptTitle":"Factors influencing the choice of surgery as a future career among medical students: a cross- sectional multi-institutional study in Edo State, Nigeria","msid":"","msnumber":"","nonDraftVersions":[{"code":1,"date":"2025-05-09 11:02:31","doi":"10.21203/rs.3.rs-6306992/v1","editorialEvents":[{"type":"communityComments","content":0}],"status":"published","journal":{"display":true,"email":"[email protected]","identity":"researchsquare","isNatureJournal":false,"hasQc":true,"allowDirectSubmit":true,"externalIdentity":"","sideBox":"","snPcode":"","submissionUrl":"/submission","title":"Research Square","twitterHandle":"researchsquare","acdcEnabled":true,"dfaEnabled":false,"editorialSystem":"","reportingPortfolio":"","inReviewEnabled":false,"inReviewRevisionsEnabled":true}}],"origin":"","ownerIdentity":"c317dce4-4659-44c6-9160-5deeaedc6359","owner":[],"postedDate":"May 9th, 2025","published":true,"recentEditorialEvents":[],"rejectedJournal":[],"revision":"","amendment":"","status":"posted","subjectAreas":[],"tags":[],"updatedAt":"2025-07-15T11:09:11+00:00","versionOfRecord":[],"versionCreatedAt":"2025-05-09 11:02:31","video":"","vorDoi":"","vorDoiUrl":"","workflowStages":[]},"version":"v1","identity":"rs-6306992","journalConfig":"researchsquare"},"__N_SSP":true},"page":"/article/[identity]/[[...version]]","query":{"redirect":"/article/rs-6306992","identity":"rs-6306992","version":["v1"]},"buildId":"8U1c8b4HqxoKbykW_rLl7","isFallback":false,"isExperimentalCompile":false,"dynamicIds":[84888],"gssp":true,"scriptLoader":[]}