The article examines the features of motivation for the work of students of medical universities in modern socio-economic conditions. The relevance of the study is due to the need to improve the quality of training of medical personnel and solve the problem of personnel shortage in health care, namely in public medical institutions. A theoretical and methodological analysis of the factors influencing the motivation of students, as well as an empirical study using a survey of 168 students from 14 medical universities in Russia was conducted. It was revealed that the leading motives for students' work are humanistic motives: public benefit, belonging to a social group and public recognition, while material motivation plays a less significant role. The results obtained made it possible to recommend the development of comprehensive measures to support and develop the motivation of students of medical universities, especially during critical periods of study, in order to improve their professional orientation and readiness to work in the public sector of the health care system.