Table 2 Factor analysisa of determinants of specialty preference in senior medical students at UNAM Faculty of Medicine in Mexico City (n = 697). The last column shows the mean importance of the item (0 = not determinant; 3 = most determinant)
From: Specialty choice determinants among Mexican medical students: a cross-sectional study
Item | Personal values during undergraduate training (F1) | Career needs to be satisfied (F2) | Perception of the specialty characteristics (F3) | Mean importance |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Interest in the specialty patient type | 0.77 | – | – | 2.3 |
Variety of medical problems in the specialty | 0.74 | – | – | 2.2 |
Work to do during the specialty | 0.69 | – | – | 2.4 |
Specialty social engagement | 0.60 | – | – | 2.0 |
Possibility of studying a subspecialty | 0.50 | – | – | 2.1 |
Opportunities to perform research | 0.40 | – | – | 1.6 |
Specialty duration | – | 0.77 | – | 1.7 |
The expectation of free time | – | 0.76 | – | 1.8 |
Possibility of raising a family | – | 0.72 | – | 1.8 |
Potential autonomy after graduation | – | 0.58 | – | 2.0 |
Financial reasons | – | 0.44 | – | 1.4 |
Family support during the specialty | – | 0.41 | – | 1.8 |
Role models | – | – | 0.68 | 1.5 |
Pleasant academic experience in the specialty | – | – | 0.63 | 2.2 |
Medical internship with pleasant experiences in the specialty | – | – | 0.62 | 2.1 |
Specialty prestige | – | – | 0.57 | 1.4 |
To have skills related to the specialty | – | – | 0.42 | 2.2 |
Alpha | 0.73 | 0.71 | 0.65 | – |
Variance explained | 24.0% | 12.4% | 8.3% | – |
Cumulative variance explained | 24.0% | 36.4% | 47.7% | – |