Motivational factors associated with academic satisfaction in first-year medical students

Introduction: Medical students' academic satisfaction may be affected by preconceived expectations and emotional projections about the career. The objective was to analyze the motivational factors associated with academic satisfaction with the human medicine career in Argentine students in their first year of study. Material and methods: Analytical and cross-sectional study of the national survey of medical students, Argentina, which included 1.141 first-year medical students. Averages were compared and the decision tree was used using chi-square automatic interaction detector (CHAID), diagnostic performance tests, Cramer's V coefficient and Odds Ratio. Results: The CHAID tree detected the main variable associated with low academic satisfaction: fulfilling your dreams. The association between motivation to fulfill their dreams and academic satisfaction was moderate (V = 1.39; p < 0.001). Students without motivation to fulfill their dreams had low academic satisfaction 2.02 times more often than students with motivation to fulfill their dreams (OR = 2.02; IC 95 % = 1.47–2.78). Specificity 79 % and negative predictive value 83 %. According to the positive likelihood test, students who were not motivated to fulfill their dreams had a 1.98 times greater probability of low academic satisfaction than students who were motivated (LR + = 1.98; IC 95 % = 1.74–2.07). Conclusion: Low motivation to fulfill their dreams was associated with low academic satisfaction in first-year medical students. It is necessary to reinforce vocational programs in the school stage, raising students' awareness about the appropriate aptitudes and motivations to pursue the medical profession.