Factors influencing high school students’ decision in applying to Medical School

Abstract

Background: Many factors influence high school students’ future profession choices, which differ by culture and other variables such as the students’ background, social differences, and financial status, all of which culminate in a student pursuing their higher education in a single field. As a result, the factors that influenced that choice must be addressed in order to achieve better outcomes for both the educational programs and the health system. Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted in Riyadh city among high school students. Sociodemographic characteristics, preferred study specialties, GPA, and performances were obtained using a self-administered questionnaire. Results: The age of the students was between 16-19 years old. Most selected specialties were medicine, followed by engineering, information technology and Nursing, however, Pharmacy was in the least selected specialty. Findings showed that the top perceived barrier was the high aptitude score required for entry into medicine (23.3%); another group of the students (23.1%) indicated that the English Language competency test/skills were the second obstacle. Offering health care and motivation were the most important factor for the majority of students. The majority had remarkably agreed or strongly agreed to the humanitarian context about studying medicine (90.4%). Conclusion: A higher percentage of high school students choose to attend medical school, with the primary obstacles to admission being the high aptitude score required for admission, followed by English language competency examinations. Finally, there is a considerable disparity between genders when it comes to medical school preferences and reasons. Keywords: Medicine, medical student, Saudi Arabia, healthcare, medical schools