Preserving and strengthening the health of the population of the Russian Federation is impossible without ensuring sanitary and epidemiological welfare. Furthermore, the staff shortage of preventive medicine specialists is observed in a number of regions, along with the decline in popularity of this specialty among applicants manifesting itself in the lower number of applications and the lower average USE scores of admitted students together with the lower passing scores in educational institutions. The study was aimed to assess the social and psychological portrait of the student studying at the faculty of preventive medicine and his/her motivation for further professional activity. The anonymous online questionnaire survey of 153 students showed that only 57.5% of students made a conscious choice of profession, 54.3% remain confident in their choice throughout the learning process, 28.8% doubt their choice, and 16.9% would never do the same choice. A total of 34.0% respondents are concerned about the success of their employment. At the same time, the majority of students show good academic performance, while career orientation and competitiveness are the major factors that drive their successful study.