Job preferences among traditional Chinese medicine clinical graduates in China: a discrete choice experiment

This study demonstrates that the monthly income has the most significant impact on employment preferences. The work intensity and mentorship opportunities also play crucial roles, with the influence of the work intensity surpassing those of other non-economic factors. In contrast, the hospital tier and work location have a relatively smaller impact on graduates' preferences. In addition, a combination of certain non-economic measures can enhance students' willingness to choose hospitals in third-tier cities. Based on these findings, it is recommended that recruitment and career development strategies focus on the salary, work intensity, and mentorship opportunities, while providing stable job positions and favorable work environments, so as to meet the primary needs of TCM clinical graduates. A novel contribution of this study is its identification of the significant influence of mentorship opportunities, which are one of the distinctive features of TCM, on the employment choices of TCM graduates, filling a gap in the existing research. Future studies should integrate online questionnaires with offline interviews to gain deeper insights into the decision-making processes of graduates in real-world work environments.