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A modern healthcare system requires the right mix of clinical specialties to achieve high level of health status for its population. Despite increased availability of physicians and specialists, Türkiye still lags behind high-income countries in terms of density of medical professionals. This study attempts to understand the importance of various factors in the choice of medical specialization. A survey of 333 medical graduates was conducted to identify the potential factors. A multivariate regression model was employed to identify the statistically significant factors. Results indicate that surgical specialties show statistically significant higher likelihood of selection over other two broad specialization categories due to attractive factors (anticipated income and prestige) and lower likelihood of selection due to factors like relative ease of the training program, high work-load of specialty, medical malpractice lawsuits and risk of workplace violence. If negative factors, which can be categorized as avoidance and detrimental factors, outweigh the attractive factors, surgical specialties may not remain a highly sought-after specialization. To lower workplace violence in health sector, structural reforms and system improvements should be carried out. It is critically important to improve patient-physician trust and communications to lower the risk of malpractice and litigation. |
