Medical School Students’ Perspectives on Community Medicine as a Postgraduate Career: A Cross-Sectional Study

Abstract Background: Community Medicine plays an important role in disease prevention, health promotion and population-based healthcare. However, postgraduate career preferences among medical students remain concentrated in clinical specialties, with comparatively fewer students considering Community Medicine. Understanding students’ perceptions and factors influencing their career preferences may help improve their engagement with the specialty. Methodology : A cross-sectional study was conducted among 304 MBBS undergraduate students from different phases at a tertiary medical teaching hospital. Data were collected using a structured, self-administered questionnaire assessing perceptions of Community Medicine, learning experiences, perceived professional roles and competencies, academic difficulties, deterrents and postgraduate specialty preferences. Data were summarized using frequencies and percentages, and binary logistic regression was performed to identify factors associated with interest in Community Medicine. A p-value <0.05 was considered statistically significant. Results: Among 304 students, 68.8% were female and 31.2% were male. Field visits were the major factor increasing interest in Community Medicine (73.4%) . Communicable diseases (19.2%), Maternal and Child Health (17.2%) and nutritional health (15.3%) were the most preferred subtopics. Community-oriented healthcare delivery (27.3%) and holistic disease prevention (24.7%) were the most frequently perceived competencies. The commonest academic difficulty was memorization of numerical data and health indicators (35.7%). Only 15.3% of students expressed an intention to pursue Community Medicine/Public Health as a postgraduate specialty, while Internal Medicine (32.5%) and Surgery (29.2%) were the leading clinical preferences. In binary logistic regression, gender (OR=1.230, p=0.564), native background (OR=0.995, p=0.988), and factors increasing curiosity towards Community Medicine (OR=1.068, p=0.660) were not significantly associated with interest in Community Medicine. Conclusion: MBBS undergraduates recognized the practical relevance of Community Medicine, particularly through field-based learning, but postgraduate preference for the specialty remained limited. Strengthening application-based and field-oriented teaching, research exposure and awareness of diverse career opportunities may improve students’ understanding and engagement with Community Medicine as a postgraduate career.