Interest in the Field of Study and Affecting Factors: The Viewpoint of Students of Kashan University of Medical Sciences

Medical sciences students’ interest in their field of study will increase their sense of responsibility and academic performance and improve healthcare services. The purpose of this study was to investigate the students’ interest in their field of study and affecting factors in Kashan University of Medical Sciences.
In this descriptive, cross-sectional study, 540 students of different fields of medical sciences were selected using a quota sampling method. Data collection tool was a researcher-made questionnaire. Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics, t-test, ANOVA and Pearson correlation test.
The mean score of the students’ interest in their field of study was 75.69 (out of 100). The majority of the students expressed that they had selected their fields with awareness (76.5%). A rather weak significant inverse correlation was found between age and the interest score (r=-0.1, p=0.025). Among all the factors affecting interest, “being useful to the society” and “the social status of the field” had the highest effect on the students’ interest while “high school teachers” had the lowest effect.
The interest scores were relatively lower in older students. Considering the effects of social status and feeling useful on creating and maintaining the interest in the profession, attempts should be made to reinforce the feeling of being useful in students. Moreover, the number of student admissions should be determined according to the capacity of the labor market.