INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF PROGRESSIVE RESEARCH IN SCIENCE AND ENGINEERING, VOL.2, NO.8, AUGUST 2021. JENNIFER DANE C. ABAYA., et.al: FACTORS THAT INFLUENCE THIRD-YEAR MEDICAL TECHNOLOGY STUDENTS REGARDING THEIR CAREER PATH ASPIRATIONS 534 Factors That Influence Third-Year Medical Technology Students Regarding Their Career Path Aspirations Jennifer Dane C. Abaya 1 , Anna Carmela M. Alcaraz 1 , Rojiellen Angela Autencio 1 , Gillian Ysabel B. Baetiong 1 , Trev John D. Hernandez 1 , Christine V. Mendoza 1 , Jerome Emmanuel D. Quinio 1 , Miguel Carlos G. Arada 2 1 Student, Department of Medical Technology, Faculty of Pharmacy, University of Santo Tomas, Sampaloc, Manila, Philippines. 2 Faculty, Department of Medical Technology, Faculty of Pharmacy, University of Santo Tomas, Sampaloc, Manila, Philippines. Corresponding Author: mgarada@ust.edu.ph. Abstract: Deciding on a career path is one of the most difficult decisions a student could make (Gati & Asher, 2001). To help them assess and determine the career they desire, they are influenced by a unique set of factors that improve their decision-making and help them settle on a career path. These influencers are categorized into environmental and personal factors. They are used to determine the level of influence and association in how they affect their career choices. This study explored the factors that influence two hundred seventy (270) third-year Medical Technology students enrolled in A.Y. 2020-2021 regarding their career path aspirations. The researcher-made online survey questionnaire used in the study focused on three main objectives: influential factors, student’s career path, and the association between the two main factors and career path. The results showed that under environmental factors, the subfactors “Academic Qualification” and “Job Opportunity” were highly influential in the students’ decision to take up medical technology. In contrast, subfactors “Interest,” “Desire,” “Contribution to Society,” ”Academic Excellence,” “Suits Personality,” and “Quality of Life” under personal factors were highly influential. Additionally, among the environmental factors related to future career paths, only “Career Advancement” had a significantly weak positive association with the latter. As f or the personal factors, the majority of the subfactors: “Dreams,” “Desire,” “Contribution to Society,” “Suits Personality,” and “Quality of Life” had a significantly weak positive association. Overall, personal factors have a higher influence than environmental fac tors. Keywords — Career path, Influence, Medical technology, Personal factors, Environmental factors. I. BACKGROUND OF THE STUDY 1.1 Introduction Medical Technology, or Clinical Laboratory Science, is defined as a branch of laboratory medicine that involves performing analytical procedures using biomedical systems (i.e., microscopes, complex machinery, and precision instruments) to provide accurate and precise laboratory results used for diagnosis and treatment. Aside from clinical duties, medical technologists can also provide service in other fields of work such as research, industrial laboratory companies, and marketing or developing medical devices and supplies. Medical technology is known for being a decent pre-medical course due to the numerous subjects found in its curriculum that may serve as a stepping stone and create a foundation for knowledge as students proceed to medical school. With this, medical technologists have the option to take up further studies to either pursue medicine or other occupations related to health (the University of Wisconsin, n.d.). Choosing a career is one of the most significant decisions a student could make and will eventually impact every aspect of their lives (Gati & Asher, 2001). Decision-making involves time and careful deliberation of aspects relevant to the choice an individual will make. When it comes to making big decisions in choosing which career path to pursue, students tend to approach other people to gain insights and weigh out the pros and cons of the profession they have in mind. Studies conducted by Lambrou, P. (2010) and Kusurkar, R.A. (2011) stated that interests in the medical field, good job opportunities, and the drive to help others may affect decision-making regarding their Manuscript revised August 24, 2021; accepted August 25, 2021. Date of publication August 27, 2021. This paper available online at www.ijprse.com ISSN (Online): 2582-7898