Table 1 Preliminary questionnaire items

Sex (male)

213 (104)

^a

Age (years)

21.2 ± 0.77

^a

1. I prefer to choose general and famous hospital(i.e. tertiary hospitals)

6.04 ± 0.91

1

2. I prefer to choose medium degree hospital(i.e. secondary hospitals)

4.39 ± 1.30

^a

3. I prefer to meet the needs of society (i.e., community or private hospitals)

3.65 ± 1.38

^a

4. I prefer to work at a specialized hospital with a good reputation

5.33 ± 1.27

^a

5. I prefer to work at a hospital with room for promotion

4.97 ± 1.28

^a

6. I prefer to work at a hospital near my hometown

5.89 ± 0.99

1

7. I am willing to work at a hospital with greater occupational stress

4.71 ± 1.27

2

8. I prefer a subspecialty that will provide a high salary

6.00 ± 0.83

1

9. I prefer a subspecialty with prestigious experts

5.84 ± 0.97

1

10. I prefer a subspecialty with good career prospects

6.11 ± 0.92

1

11. I prefer a more competitive subspecialty

4.34 ± 1.32

2

12. I prefer an interesting subspecialty

6.19 ± 0.84

1

13. I prefer a subspecialty with greater job satisfaction

6.08 ± 0.90

1

14. I prefer a subspecialty that fits my character and work style

6.13 ± 0.86

1

15. I prefer a subspecialty that will have a limited effect on my leisure time

5.64 ± 1.16

1

16. I prefer a subspecialty with few night or overtime shifts

5.23 ± 1.30

^a

17. I am willing to choose a subspecialty where I will always be on-call

4.25 ± 1.62

2

18. I am willing to choose a subspecialty that is recommended by family or friends

3.89 ± 1.80

^a

19. I am willing to choose a subspecialty where I can serve my relatives

5.79 ± 1.08

1

20. I am willing to choose a subspecialty with a greater likelihood of patient-physician conflict

2.46 ± 1.06

2