Table 5 Representative quotations of major themes identified from FGDs among the fifth year medical students at MakCHS

Facilitators for students’ specialty career preferences

1. Controlled lifestyle preference

“I feel like psychiatrists have better working hours, surgeons are called in at 2 am because a patient has gone into cardiac arrest or a mother has gone into labour.”(Female FGD)

2. Assurance of a good life

“I think all of us would want to go to those specialties, even the trivial ones. As long as a good life is guaranteed we would like to serve.” (Male FGD)

3. Inspirational specialists

“Dr. Y^a makes you feel like you are on the same level with her. If you do not know the answer Y says “Let us google”. Dr Y does not make you feel like you are stupid or so inefficient...”(Female FGD)

Barriers to students’ specialty career preferences

1. Inadequate exposure

“I think the challenge there is the duration we spend or the duration we are given. You cannot tell me to go to anesthesia for one week yet it has 5 credit units. I have to learn and understand because we are going to manage human beings.” (Mature entrant FGD)

2. Lack of career guidance

“So yes I have never thought of it as a career choice because no one ever put it forth and showed us how good it can be.” (Male FGD).

3. Perceived low financial status of the specialists

“… I could not consider the specialty because according to me, those people do not look happy. The way I see them, I would not want to be like them.” (Males FDG)