Objective: We conducted a survey to investigate the specialties selected by graduates of Juntendo University following the completion of clinical training, and compared the results obtained before and after the introduction of the mandatory clinical training system.

Materials: Subjects were 1,115 graduates (male: 743, female: 372) who participated in the new clinical training system between 2004 and 2015. Controls were 1,068 graduates (male: 786, female: 282) who participated in the old clinical training system between 1992 and 2003.

Methods: The specialties selected were classified into “internal medicine”, “surgery”, “required specialties (emergency medicine, pediatrics, obstetrics and gynecology, and psychiatry, which are compulsory for the clinical training system)”, other specialties, so-called “minor specialties”, and “basic medicine”. The percentage of graduates in each specialty was compared before and after the introduction of the mandatory clinical training system.

Results: The percentage of graduates increased in internal medicine (from 32.8 to 34.1%), required specialties (from 18.0 to 20.7%), and basic medicine (from 0.6 to 1.5%, p=0.0276), but decreased in surgery (from 14.9 to 11.0%, p=0.0071) and minor specialties (from 33.7 to 32.7%). When surgery was included as a required specialty, the ratio of graduates who selected internal medicine, required specialties, and minor specialties was approximately the same (one third for each), with no significant differences being observed from before the introduction of the mandatory system.

Conclusions: Our University graduates who selected internal medicine, required specialties (including surgery), and minor specialties accounted for approximately one third each, with the remainder selecting basic medicine.