Background: The decision to study a medical specialty involves considering several personal, family, and professional factors, and currently, in Chile, there needs to be more information about this.
Objective: To determine the factors that explain the intention to study a medical specialty in medical students.
Materials and methods: A survey of medical students was conducted with 266 valid responses (58.7% response rate). The instrument measured the intention, attitude, subjective norms, and self-perception of abilities toward studying a medical specialty. This instrument was verified for its reliability and validity. We used the Structural Equations Model (SEM) through partial least squares (SEM-PLS) to estimate the whole model.
Results: Cronbach's Alpha coefficient, composite reliability, and Dijkstra-Hernseler's indicator of each item showed adequate values. Regarding the structural model, the size effect test indicated that two of the three constructs are relevant to explaining the intention. Bootstrapping tests showed the predictive relevance of the model. The overall fit of the model was adequate.
Conclusions: The factor that most influence students' intention to continue towards a medical specialty is personal attitude, followed by perceived control of behavior, and finally by expected future income.