The number of medical students who want to become GPs has dropped to its lowest level since 2012, a national survey suggests.

New figures reveal that 15% of the 2018 cohort of final-year medical students are planning on pursuing a career in general practice, prompting renewed concerns about recruitment of the next generation of GPs.

The finding comes from an annual survey of 2193 final-year students from 19 medical schools across the country, which was carried out by Medical Deans Australia and New Zealand.

Some 19% said their first-preference specialty would be in adult or internal medicine, while another 15% said surgery was their first choice.