Background: Specialty decision-making among medical students reflects a complex interplay of motivations, evolving perceptions, and experiences during medical training. This study explores how students’ initial motivations, views on what makes a good doctor, and academic progression influence their specialty preferences. Methods: A mixed-methods study was conducted at VinUniversity, a not-for-profit medical school in Vietnam. Quantitative surveys were completed by 155 students across Years 1–4 (79.5% response rate), and 27 students participated in in-depth interviews. Quantitative data were analyzed using Wilcoxon rank-sum and Kruskal-Wallis tests. Qualitative responses underwent thematic analysis to explore identity formation and specialty choice. Results: Altruism was the most cited factor influencing specialty choice, with “desire to help people” rated highest (4.08 ± 1.14). Students’ perceptions of essential doctor qualities evolved over time. Younger students valued creativity (p = 0.035) and innovation (p = 0.022) more than seniors, reflecting a shift toward practicality in later years. Specialty preferences aligned with professional values: students favoring surgery rated work ethic (p = 0.029), collaboration (p = 0.006), and adaptability (p = 0.044) higher than those preferring internal medicine. Students inclined toward pediatrics or psychiatry prioritized empathy and communication, while those choosing surgery emphasized technical skill and decisiveness. Female students rated prestige as more influential than male students (p = 0.049). Qualitative data revealed that clinical exposure and self-reflection helped students refine their specialty choices by aligning personal traits with perceived specialty demands. Conclusion: Medical students’ specialty preferences are shaped by their initial motivations, developing perceptions of good doctor qualities, and experiences throughout training. These findings underscore the need for medical curricula and mentorship to address the evolving identity and values of students, supporting more informed and aligned specialty choices.

Objective This longitudinal study aimed to document shifts in specialty preferences, career pathways and intended practice locations among medical students following the implementation of structured career initiatives during the 2023–2024 academic year. Design A longitudinal observational survey study. Setting A private, not-for-profit institution, VinUniversity in Hanoi, Vietnam during the 2023–2024 academic year. Participants All year 2, year 3 and year 4 medical students (n=144 eligible), of whom 105 (73%) completed both baseline and follow-up surveys. Interventions Structured career counselling initiatives introduced at the start of the academic year, including academic mentoring, clinical mentoring, hands-on clinical exposure in year 4 and multiple career counselling activities. Primary and secondary outcome measures The primary outcome was change in specialty preference over time, measured by students’ self-reported first-choice specialty at baseline and follow-up. Secondary outcomes included shifts in factors influencing career decisions (eg, personal interest, income and family expectations), intended practice location (domestic or international) and preferred career pathways (residency, Specialist Level I, master’s degree or direct workforce entry). Results Personal interest remained the strongest influence on specialty choice from baseline to follow-up (mean scores 4.27 vs 4.36 on a 5-point scale). A notable decrease occurred in the importance of income (3.82 to 3.22; p<0.001). Students showed increased openness to both domestic and international practice, while the number of undecided students dropped (17.1% to 1.9%). Internal medicine nearly doubled in popularity (12.4% to 24.8%), and surgery maintained the highest stability in specialty preference over the 1-year period (66.7%). Students also shifted towards advanced training pathways, with more pursuing specialist qualifications or master’s degrees instead of immediate workforce entry. Conclusion Noticeable shifts in specialty preferences and career pathways were observed after a series of career initiatives were implemented. Although these trends coincided with the new programmes, further qualitative research is needed to elucidate how and why these career initiatives may have influenced decision-making. Informed by these findings, medical educators can refine interventions to support students’ evolving preferences and ultimately strengthen healthcare workforce distribution.

Background: Medical students’ specialty decisions are shaped by a complex interaction of personal characteristics, academic experiences, social influences, and broader contextual factors. In lower-middle-income countries, where Western medical curricula are adapted to local educational and cultural contexts, little is known about how students make sense of these influences in shaping their future professional roles. This study aimed to explore how students interpret and construct their specialty choices in a newly established hybrid medical curriculum in Vietnam. Methods: This qualitative study used an interpretive phenomenological approach. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 27 medical students across all four academic years at a Vietnamese medical school. Participants were selected through purposive sampling to ensure diverse academic backgrounds and training levels. Interviews were thematically analyzed using an inductive framework to identify how students experienced and interpreted influences on their specialty decisions. Results: Four interrelated themes emerged from the analysis. First, students described how personality traits shaped their emerging identity and influenced specialty preferences. Second, academic and extracurricular experiences, including clinical rotations, research, and volunteer work, were viewed as transformative encounters that clarified career direction. Third, students navigated financial hardship, family expectations, and academic pressure, often interpreting these constraints as factors in negotiating or compromising their career choices. Finally, the COVID-19 pandemic prompted moral reflection, with some students reaffirming frontline aspirations and others shifting toward specialties offering personal safety or opportunities for systemic impact. Conclusion: Medical specialty choice is a reflective and identity-driven process shaped by personal dispositions, experiential learning, social pressures, and contextual disruptions. Rather than being solely determined by traits or external incentives, students engage in an evolving interpretation of who they are and what kind of doctor they wish to become. Medical education should incorporate reflective support systems to guide students through this complex process.

Background: Mentorship is a critical element of medical education, shaping specialty preferences, professional identity, and confidence. At VinUniversity in Hanoi, Vietnam, the Longitudinal Mentorship Program (LMP) was designed to provide sustained guidance in a low- and middle-income context. Methods: This mixed-methods study included 83 medical students from the first two cohorts at VinUniversity. Quantitative data were collected through a cross-sectional survey assessing mentorship’s influence on specialty selection, confidence, and professional identity formation using a 5-point Likert scale (91.2% response rate). Qualitative data were obtained via semi-structured interviews with 14 students, exploring mentorship’s role in career transitions, gender considerations, work-life balance, and role model influences. Statistical analyses, including Spearman correlation and group comparisons, were conducted for quantitative data, while thematic analysis was applied to qualitative findings. Results: Survey data showed that students rated mentorship highly for enhancing confidence (mean 3.98 ± 1.08), providing useful skills and knowledge (3.98 ± 1.06), and offering valuable insights and advice (4.05 ± 1.09). Mentorship was perceived to moderately influence specialty selection (3.28 ± 1.49). Female students consistently rated their mentors higher, with significant differences for expertise (p = 0.005), professional connections (p = 0.002), emotional support (p = 0.007), and personalized guidance (p = 0.022). Correlation analyses revealed that mentors’ expertise (ρ = 0.488), emotional support (ρ = 0.425), and role modeling (ρ = 0.511) were strongly associated with enhanced confidence and specialty interest. Qualitative findings emphasized the importance of role models, clinical mentors, and personal support, with additional insights into gender considerations, work-life balance, and reinforcement of career aspirations. Conclusions: This study highlights the critical role of longitudinal mentorship in medical education, demonstrating its impact on career certainty, motivation, and professional identity formation. The findings support the integration of structured mentorship programs into medical curricula to enhance career preparedness and student development. Future research should investigate the long-term effects of mentorship beyond medical school and explore strategies for optimizing mentor-mentee pairing to maximize its benefits.

Aim: To describe the operative technique and outcome of one trocar-assisted retroperitoneoscopic ureteroureterostomy (OTAU) in 40 cases of complete ureteral duplication in children. Patients and Methods: From September 2016 to December 2020, 40 patients (12 male and 28 female) less than 10 years of age underwent OTAU. A transverse skin incision of 12 mm in length was created approximately 1 cm above the iliac crest. Muscle was spared and retracted with stay sutures to expose the retroperitoneal space. Subsequently, a balloon trocar was then inserted, and pneumoperitoneum was achieved. A 10 mm operating laparoscope (Stema, Germany) with a Maryland was used to dissect and isolate the ureters from surrounding tissues. The ureters were then exteriorized and end-to-side ureteroureterostomy was performed using Polydioxanone (PDS) 6/0 running sutures. Patient’s demographic, operative, and follow-up data were collected prospectively. Results: The mean age of patients was 25.2 months (range: 1–105 months). The mean operating time was 81.9 ± 11.3 minutes. There were no intraoperative conversions or complications. After a median follow-up time of 47.5 months, the differential renal function of the pathological upper pole moiety (UPM) was preserved in all patients. Ultrasound revealed a significant reduction in UPM’s renal pelvis anterior–posterior diameter from 19.6 ± 9.1 mm preoperatively to 11.1 ± 6.7 mm postoperatively ( p < 0.05), accompanied by a reduction in ureter’s diameter from 10.8 ± 4.4 mm to 4.8 ± 1.2 mm ( p < 0.05). Overall, all 32 patients with preoperative symptoms experienced complete symptom resolution. Conclusion: OTAU is a safe and feasible approach that yields excellent outcomes for complete ureteral duplication.