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AlAssiri SS, Alshahir AA, Al Eissa SI, Al Helal FH, Konbaz FM, Abaalkhail MS, Al Jehani RM, Mohabbat AF, AlSheikh KA. Factors influencing the selection criteria of Saudi board orthopedic surgery applicants: a national survey of program directors. BMC Med Educ 2024; 24:59. [PMID: 38216902 PMCID: PMC10785545 DOI: 10.1186/s12909-023-05007-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/21/2023] [Accepted: 12/21/2023] [Indexed: 01/14/2024]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Annually, medical students vie to secure a seat with an orthopedic residency program. This rigorous competition places orthopedic surgery as one of the most competitive specialties in the medical field. Although several international studies have been published regarding the factors that influence program directors when choosing their ideal applicant, the data for Saudi Arabia in that regard is absent. METHODS In this cross-sectional study, we aimed to survey all orthopedic program directors regarding the factors that influence them when choosing their ideal orthopedic surgery applicant. A survey was sent to all program directors via email during the month of August 2022. A reminder was sent 2 weeks later to maximize the response rate. The survey was completed by 22 out of 36 orthopedic program directors, which gave us a response rate of 61.11%. RESULTS In this study, 22 orthopedic surgery program directors responded to our survey. When program directors were asked to rank the factors of residency selection criteria, the top ranked factors were good impression on interviews; prior experience in orthopedic surgery with, for example, electives; and performance on ethical questions during interviews, with means of 9.18, 8.95, and 8.82 out of 10, respectively. Furthermore, program directors preferred letters of recommendation from recommenders that they personally know, clinical experience such as electives taken at the program director's institution, and the quality of publications as the most important aspects of research. Most program directors (90.9%) relied on their residents' and fellows' opinions when selecting candidates, and 77.3% did not think gender has an influence on selection of applicants. CONCLUSION By providing comprehensive data regarding the factors that influence and attract program directors of orthopedic surgery when choosing residency candidates. With the data provided by this study, applicants for orthopedic surgery have the advantage of early planning to build a strong application that may help persuade program directors to choose them.
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Affiliation(s)
- Suhail S AlAssiri
- Orthopedics Surgery Department, Ministry of the National Guard-Health affairs, King Abdulaziz Medical City, PO Box 22490, 11426, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia
- King Abdullah International Medical Research Centre, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia
- King Saud bin Abdulaziz University for Health Sciences, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia
| | - Alwaleed A Alshahir
- Orthopedics Surgery Department, Ministry of the National Guard-Health affairs, King Abdulaziz Medical City, PO Box 22490, 11426, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
- King Abdullah International Medical Research Centre, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
- King Saud bin Abdulaziz University for Health Sciences, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
| | - Sami I Al Eissa
- Orthopedics Surgery Department, Ministry of the National Guard-Health affairs, King Abdulaziz Medical City, PO Box 22490, 11426, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia
- King Abdullah International Medical Research Centre, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia
- King Saud bin Abdulaziz University for Health Sciences, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia
| | - Fahad H Al Helal
- Orthopedics Surgery Department, Ministry of the National Guard-Health affairs, King Abdulaziz Medical City, PO Box 22490, 11426, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia
- King Abdullah International Medical Research Centre, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia
- King Saud bin Abdulaziz University for Health Sciences, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia
| | - Faisal M Konbaz
- King Faisal Specialist Hospital and Research Centre, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia
| | - Majed S Abaalkhail
- Orthopedics Surgery Department, Ministry of the National Guard-Health affairs, King Abdulaziz Medical City, PO Box 22490, 11426, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia
- King Abdullah International Medical Research Centre, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia
- King Saud bin Abdulaziz University for Health Sciences, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia
| | - Rayed M Al Jehani
- Orthopedics Surgery Department, Ministry of the National Guard-Health affairs, King Abdulaziz Medical City, PO Box 22490, 11426, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia
- King Abdullah International Medical Research Centre, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia
- King Saud bin Abdulaziz University for Health Sciences, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia
| | - Abdullah F Mohabbat
- Spine Surgery Department, Neuroscience Centre, King Salman Bin Abdulaziz Medical City, Ministry of Health, Al Madina, Saudi Arabia
| | - Khalid A AlSheikh
- Orthopedics Surgery Department, Ministry of the National Guard-Health affairs, King Abdulaziz Medical City, PO Box 22490, 11426, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia
- King Abdullah International Medical Research Centre, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia
- King Saud bin Abdulaziz University for Health Sciences, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia
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AlRajhi B, Omer I, Abualnaja R, Alqahtani F, Hakami AY. Medical Students’ Attitudes and Influential Factors Towards Conducting Medical Research. Int J Med Stud 2023. [DOI: 10.5195/ijms.2023.1667] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 04/03/2023] Open
Abstract
Background: Medical research has become an essential part of medical students’ curricula at several medical colleges in Saudi Arabia. This study aimed to assess medical students' attitudes and identify factors influencing their willingness to conduct medical research.
Methods: This cross-sectional study was conducted between December 2021 and April 2022 using the students' attitudes towards research and the students’ perceived influential factors toward participating in research activities questionnaires. A 5-Likert scale to calculate the average of the students’ responses, where 5 indicated ‘strongly agree’ and 1 indicated ‘strongly disagree’. The survey was distributed to medical students at the College of Medicine, King Saud bin Abdulaziz University for Health Sciences (KSAU-HS), Saudi Arabia.
Results: A total of 500 responses were collected from the students (67.2% male and 32.8% female). Most students agreed with the following statement: ‘Research is important for identifying and investigating problems in a subject matter’ (N=399, 79.8%). More than half of the students agreed with the following statement: ‘I am very interested in participating in research activities at the undergraduate level’ (N=318, 63.6%). The top three influential factors for conducting medical research were ‘to facilitate entry into competitive residency programs’, followed by ‘interest in specific research fields or medical topics’ and ‘to improve curriculum vitae (CV).’
Conclusion: The majority of the surveyed students showed a positive attitude towards conducting medical research in King Saud bin Abdulaziz University for Health Sciences, Saudi Arabia. Most students conduct research to gain a competitive edge and explore specialties of interest.
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