BackgroundOver the past years, choice of specialization in Anaesthesiology and intensive care has become more popular in Spain among medical students. We designed a survey to study this trend, assessing theoretical knowledge and factors which participated to the choice of anaesthesia, among first-year residents in the region of Madrid. MethodsA survey was designed to evaluate the background, exposure to anaesthesia during medical school training, and motivation, followed by a test of knowledge based on 15 multiple choice questions. The questions were proposed to the seventy residents of the Madrid Autonomous Region who started their training program in 2022. Results60/70 (85,7%) residents answered the survey. Only 58,3% of respondents had studied in Madrid and 98,3% had chosen anaesthesia as their first option. During their medical degree, 65% of them had received theoretical lectures in anaesthesia and 66,7% did a clinical rotation. Choosing to specialize in Anaesthesiology was influenced by doing clinical rotations (p < 0,001), but not by receiving lectures (p=0,88). When asked about the main reasons for selecting anaesthesia, the variety of technical skills available had influenced 76,7% residents, the width of knowledge 75% and the career opportunities 73,3% of residents. The median score for the knowledge test reached 13/15 of correct answers. ConclusionMost of our first-year residents did a clinical rotation during their medical degree and were exposed to their future specialty, which oriented their choice. When considering anaesthesia as a choice, technical skills was the most influencing factor.