General Surgery Least Favourite of Today's Medical Graduates

Nov 29, 2025 - Medical graduates are increasingly choosing stable fields like General Medicine and Radiology over surgical specialities owing to a desire for a more manageable lifestyle, faster professional stability and less intense demands. Surgery, which was considered a creative and prestigious branch till some years ago, has now lost its appeal owing to several factors.

Fields like General Medicine, Radiology, Paediatrics, Dermatology, Psychiatry and Anaesthesia are standing out as preferred fields. Stability, intellectual stimulation, autonomy and quality of life are the determining factors for the selection, say experts in the field.

In the first round of NEET-PG counselling this year, students with top ranks were seen distancing themselves from General Surgery. In the first phase of NEET-PG 2025, among the top 1500 students, 42% chose MD General Medicine, 30% opted for MD Radiodiagnosis, while only 6.6% (99 students) showed interest in MS General Surgery.

Who Chose What

• General Medicine: 632 (42%)
• Radiology: 447 (30%)
• General Surgery: 99 (6.6%)
• Medicine Radiology: 1,079 (72%)

This marks the sharpest decline in General Surgery in recent years. Stress, emergency trauma cases, night calls, long training periods and increasing medico-legal pressures have contributed to the growing reluctance toward surgical specialties. Additionally, other factors - long hours in the OT, pressure of handling complications in real time, long wait to settle in the field, fear of litigation and high patient dissatisfaction - have also contributed to the growing decline.

Why Students Prefer Radiology

• It opens opportunities in almost every super-specialty hospital.
• Working hours are fixed, making life easier.
• Stress levels are relatively lower, allowing for a better lifestyle.
• Senior doctors often advise choosing Medicine or Radiology.
• Radiology is considered the safest and lowest-risk specialty.
• Emergency duties are minimal in Radiology.

As observed today, the current lot of medical graduates uphold the value of sleep, family time, hobbies and mental health which is not easily feasible for someone in surgical practice.

With Media Inputs

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