Impact of COVID-19 on the awareness and interest in infectious disease specialization among Japanese medical students

The SARS-CoV-2 pandemic has highlighted the critical deficiency of
infectious disease (ID) specialists, a subspecialty that remains
underrepresented among Japanese medical students. This nationwide
cross-sectional survey was administered between April and August 2024 via
an online questionnaire distributed to medical students throughout Japan.
The survey assessed awareness of and interest in ID specialization,
categorizing students by academic year: lower (first- and second-year
students), middle (third- and fourth-year students), and upper grades
(fifth- and sixth-year students). Of 502 respondents, data for 492 medical
students were eligible, of whom 69.7% demonstrated awareness of ID
specialists, with recognition rates increasing proportionally with
academic progression.  Regarding career aspirations, 9.8% of
respondents expressed interest in pursuing ID specialization, with the
highest proportion observed among upper-grade students (19.4%). Male
students (14.8%) expressed greater interest in ID specialization than
female students (5.2%). The pandemic positively influenced 5.5% of
students to consider ID specialization as a future career, whereas only
0.6% reported a negative impact. These findings underscore the necessity
of enhanced educational initiatives to promote ID specialization among
medical students, addressing current shortages and future infectious
disease preparedness.