GP Remains a Top Choice for Final Year Medical Students in Australia
03 Jun 2026
A yearly survey from the Medical Schools Outcomes Database (MSOD) by Medical Deans Australia and New Zealand shows that 15.6% of final year medical students in 2025 want to work in general practice or rural generalism, keeping it as the second most preferred specialty overall.
The survey included responses from 3,994 students across medical schools, with general practice alone chosen by 8.8%, and rural generalism by 6.8%.
When combined, they sit just behind adult medicine, which remains the top choice at 16%.
Other popular areas included anaesthesia and surgery.
RACGP Rural Chair Associate Professor Michael Clements said the results show growing awareness of rural generalism as a career pathway and stronger interest in rural practice, especially among students with rural backgrounds or rural training experience.
He said exposure to general practice during university is still limited for many students, which can affect how they view the specialty.
However, he also noted that actual career choices often change after graduation, with many more doctors later entering general practice training than they originally planned.
A recent Medical Journal of Australia study also showed that around one-third of graduates eventually choose general practice or rural generalism training.
GP Remains a Top Choice for Final Year Medical Students in Australia
Source
Medical Schools Outcomes Database (MSOD), Medical Deans Australia and New Zealand; reported in newsGP.