[Getty Images Bank]
[Getty Images Bank]

As AI and robotics programs gain popularity among Chinese university applicants, interest in medical school and careers as a physician appears to be waning. Analysts point to the lengthy path to becoming a doctor, low pay during residency training, fierce job competition and heavy workloads as key factors behind the shift.

According to the South China Morning Post, even high-achieving students already enrolled in medical programs in China are increasingly reconsidering their career paths. At some universities, the minimum admission scores for clinical medicine programs have fallen compared with last year.

Huang Chaoyuan, a fifth-year clinical medicine student at a university in China's Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, told the Post he had dreamed of becoming a doctor after watching medical workers respond to COVID-19, but is now considering a switch to the consulting industry.

He said he completed a 12-month unpaid internship in his final year, adding that "cost-cutting and efficiency measures mean both young and mid-career doctors are struggling with a shortage of positions, low wages and excessive workloads."

The declining appeal of medical school is also showing up in university entrance exam results. Local reports analyzing this year's college entrance results in Zhejiang Province found that the minimum admission rank for clinical medicine at Sun Yat-sen University — a prestigious institution in Guangdong Province — dropped from 1,695th place last year to 3,049th this year, a fall of more than 1,300 places.

The clinical medicine program at Southern Medical University in Guangdong also saw its minimum admission rank in Zhejiang fall from 4,100th last year to 6,188th this year, a decline of more than 2,000 places. In some regions, the admission rank for certain medical programs dropped by more than 10,000 places compared with the previous year.

Direct comparisons have limits because Chinese universities set different enrollment quotas and cutoffs by region, but a broad downward trend in both admission scores and rankings for five-year clinical medicine programs was observed across multiple regions this year.

Science and technology fields, meanwhile, are drawing strong interest. Computer science, AI and electronic information engineering were among the most sought-after majors in this year's national college entrance examinations.

China's Ministry of Education is also adding new programs at universities to meet industry demand, including future robotics, agricultural robotics and biomanufacturing. Some universities are receiving support to launch "embodied intelligence" programs linked to humanoid robot development.

A long road to practice — and a master's degree now effectively required

Analysts cite the lengthy education and training period as a central reason behind the aversion to medical school. A standard undergraduate clinical medicine program in China takes five years, after which graduates must complete three years of standardized residency training at a hospital.

Competition for residency positions and jobs at major hospitals has intensified to the point where many candidates now pursue a master's degree or higher. When undergraduate study, graduate school and residency training are all factored in, it can take around 10 years or more before a doctor is able to practice independently.

Starting pay is also low relative to the length of training. A 2020 survey by Dingxiangyuan, a Chinese medical information platform, of more than 3,000 residents found that 27.5 percent reported monthly incomes below 1,000 yuan ($149). Of those, 8 percent said they received no income at all during their training period. Only 32.3 percent earned 3,000 yuan or more per month.

Residents frequently handle clinical duties and overnight shifts comparable to those of full-time medical staff despite their low pay, fueling persistent complaints about working conditions.

Heavy workloads and job competition shake the 'stable profession' image

Working conditions after becoming a doctor are also cited as a deterrent to applying to medical school. Night shifts, long hours and intense workloads have been a consistent source of concern in China's medical sector. As competition for positions at major hospitals has grown, the perception that a medical degree automatically leads to stable employment — once taken for granted — has eroded.

The concentration of applicants seeking jobs at top-tier hospitals and urban medical institutions has intensified academic competition. At some hospitals, a master's or doctoral degree has in effect become a standard hiring requirement, adding to the financial and time burden that medical students feel they must bear.

The Chinese government, by contrast, is actively cultivating talent in strategic industries such as AI, semiconductors and advanced manufacturing including robotics. Analysts say students who prioritize employment prospects and industry growth potential are increasingly turning to science and engineering programs, a trend that is compounding the decline in medical school's appeal.

AI programs ranked among the most popular majors in this year's college entrance examinations in China, reflecting sustained interest in technology fields. Clinical medicine remains a top choice for high-scoring students, but the drop in admission thresholds seen at some universities and in some regions is being read as a signal that the once-overwhelming preference for medicine is weakening.

China's broader youth unemployment problem is also shaping career decisions. According to the National Bureau of Statistics, the unemployment rate among 16-to-24-year-olds not in school rose to 18.9 percent in August, while the number of university graduates this year reached a record high of about 12.7 million. Analysts say that in an increasingly competitive job market, students are showing a growing tendency to choose programs directly tied to growth industries over medical school, which demands years of training and offers low initial pay.


rainbow@heraldcorp.com