Investigating the perceptions of career development as the Japanese regional quota medical students and graduates in A prefecture

Background There are few reports about the perceptions of the regional quota called Chiikiwaku medical students and graduates. Method Eighty‐four medical students and 41 graduates were enrolled in A prefecture. The questionnaire comprised 22 items scored on a 7‐point Likert scale, focusing on perceptions of merit and demerit of Chiikiwaku. The data were collected online. Results Chiikiwaku students scored higher on an item such as ‘regional quotas are a solution to the doctor shortage’. Chiikiwaku graduates felt more burdened than Chiikiwaku students. Conclusion Our results suggested that the perception of Chiikiwaku was different between Chiikiwaku students and graduates.