Objective　To investigate the teaching effect of career planning course in medical students through questionnaire survey and interview. Methods　A total of 54 medical students of the classes of 2017 and 2018 were selected as research subjects

and the career planning course was implemented. Questionnaire survey and interview were performed before and after teaching to measure career maturity index and evaluate the teaching effect of this course. SPSS 15.0 was used for data processing

The t-test was used for comparison before and after teaching. Results　All medical students had significant increases in the scores of self-recognition

occupational understanding

information application

personal adjustment

and professional attitude after teaching. As for information application

the score of career maturity was (3.71±0.99) before teaching and (4.01±0.93) after teaching

and there was a significant change after teaching (P=0.015)

while there were no significant changes in the other dimensions after teaching. Male students had significantly higher scores of self-recognition

occupational understanding

personal adjustment

and professional attitude than female students

while female students had a significantly higher score of information application than male students. There was a significant difference in professional attitude between male and female students (P<0.05). Conclusion　The career planning course for medical students can provide help and inspiration for career development

but some of the teaching contents needs to be optimized and improved.