Medical career choice and satisfaction with the chosen profession in Kosovo: exploratory insights for health workforce planning

Medical career choice is shaped by personal motivation, family background and social context. Understanding these determinants alongside satisfaction with the chosen profession, is essential for effective health workforce planning and retention. Empirical evidence from Kosovo remains limited. This study aimed to assess factors influencing medical career choice, evaluate satisfaction with the chosen profession and explore their implications for health workforce planning. A cross-sectional study was conducted between January and June 2019, including 300 participants (medical students, physicians and dentists) in Kosovo. Participants were recruited using a convenience sampling approach. Data were collected using a structured, anonymous paper-based questionnaire administered in Albanian. Statistical analyses were performed using IBM SPSS Statistics version 25. Descriptive statistics (frequencies and percentages) were calculated and chi-square tests of independence were performed ( p < 0.05). Nearly half of participants (49.0%) reported independent decision-making, while 39.0% indicated parental influence. Overall, 71.3% reported being satisfied or very satisfied with their chosen profession. Students demonstrated a slightly higher proportion of being very satisfied compared to practicing professionals. A majority (80.7%) indicated that they would not change their profession. Significant associations were observed between gender and intention to change profession ( p = 0.023) and between gender and willingness to recommend the profession ( p = 0.007). Medical career choice in Kosovo reflects a balance between individual autonomy and family influence, with generally high levels of being satisfied with their chosen profession. However, differences across career stages may inform discussions on workforce support strategies. Integrating career guidance, mentoring and retention-focused interventions into health workforce planning may enhance long-term workforce sustainability.