The aim: To analyze the psychological readiness of the first-year students to study at a medical university, difficulties in the educational process, and the formation of positive motivation to educational and professional activity. Materials and methods: In the course of research, the following techniques have been used: bibliosemantic method for the analysis of scientific publications, methodology for study the main motives for choosing a profession, suggested by S. Yu. Daukilas, methodology for study the motives of academic activity, designed at the Department of Ukrainian Studies and Humanitarian Training of Poltava State Medical University (modified by A. Rean, V. Yakunin) to conduct a survey in the process of learning Ukrainian as a foreign language by the students of Medical Faculty at the Poltava State Medical University in 2021/2022 academic year. Conclusions: Professional identity of medical students begins at the first course of study. First-year students’ faces heavy academic load of general scientific, medical and biological disciplines, foreign languages, etc. It is important from the first days to create a positive psychological motivation for studying, for acquiring knowledge and skills that will be required in future professional activities. Therefore, the adaptation of educational material to the new student reality, the search for relevant forms of education, considering the individual psychological characteristics and cognitive capabilities of the new generation, the use of modern specialized multimedia tools, the involvement of students in independent research activities, etc. is of decisive importance for the formation of students’ readiness for education in medical university. The study showed that the students were motivated to choose their medical profession with the method of self-reproducing for the first time and later the strength of this motive grew. The role of some motivational factors in the field of professional life, such as a personal pattern, personal life, and self-satisfaction were not so well formed. We also fixed a great motivation to implement professional knowledge abroad. Prospects for further research encompass the study of personal characteristics affecting the professional activity of future doctors is expected, including their psychological adequacy to the requirements of the profession - character, temperament, intelligence, communicative and organizational abilities, etc.