Career perceptions and professional plans of undergraduate students majoring in preventive medicine since the COVID-19 pandemic in China: A survey-based cross-sectional study

Abstract

College students majoring in preventive medicine are the future main task force in combating the COVID-19 pandemic. This cross-sectional study aimed to evaluate career perceptions and professional plans of these students after the COVID-19 pandemic in China. A total of 372 (response rate: 93%) participants completed the survey. We observed that after the admission, students reported better comprehension of the preventive medicine major and employment prospect (dependent t-test: [Formula: see text] vs. [Formula: see text], [Formula: see text]). The overall career perceptions of undergraduate students majoring in preventive medicine were positive [Formula: see text]. Especially for junior (Grades 1 and 2) students, which were more willing to recommend preventive medicine major to prospective students compared with senior (Grades 3–5) students. Junior students were also more enthusiastic about learning professional knowledge, had a stronger belief that their employment prospective would become better, and were more willing to pursue a relevant career. More than three-quarters (287, 78.85%) of the students tended to pursue graduate education, and the majority (228, 62.47%) of them preferred public institutions as future employers. With the increasing society-wide recognition of the importance of public health in epidemic prevention and control, the confidence of undergraduate students majoring in preventive medicine has been improved.