Medical students' attitude toward anesthesia as a future career

Medical Students' Knowledge and Perception of Anesthesia: An Insight Into Anesthesiology as a Career Choice

Introduction Anesthesia is an important specialty in the medical field responsible for caring for patients before, during, and after operations. It involves monitoring vital signs, managing pain levels, and regulating consciousness. There are various subspecialties of anesthesia, including general anesthesia, intensive care medicine, cardiac anesthesia, and pain medicine, among others. This study aims to assess and evaluate the knowledge and perceptions of medical students regarding the role of anesthesiologists and the factors influencing their career choices. Methods A descriptive cross-sectional study was conducted with 379 clinical-year medical students from colleges of medicine across Saudi Arabia. An online questionnaire consisting of 26 items was distributed among the medical students. The questionnaire included sociodemographic characteristics, factors influencing the choice of a career in anesthesiology, and perceptions related to the role of anesthesia. Statistical analysis was performed using RStudio [R Core Team (2021), R version 4.3.1, R Foundation for Statistical Computing, Vienna, Austria]. Categorical variables were presented using frequencies and percentages, while numerical variables were expressed using the median and interquartile ranges (IQRs). Results Among the 379 clinical-year medical students surveyed, a majority of participants (59.6%) reported undergoing a mandatory rotation in anesthesia during their fifth or sixth (final) year of medical school. It is noteworthy that good knowledge was significantly associated with having a mandatory rotation in anesthesia during the fifth or sixth year, with 96.0% of students who had a mandatory rotation demonstrating good knowledge, compared to 88.2% of those who did not. A smaller proportion (1.3%) opted for an elective anesthesia rotation during this period. Among those who undertook an elective clinical rotation in anesthesia, all respondents (100.0%) reported undertaking the elective rotation for three weeks or more and stated that this rotation inspired them to pursue a career in anesthesia. Regarding the factors influencing the choice of residency programs, a controllable lifestyle, particularly the ability to control work hours, emerged as the most influential factor, with 96.8% of participants considering it as such. This was followed by income (91.6%), the presence of a doctor-patient relationship (72.6%), and the prestige of the specialty (69.7%). Conclusion The medical students demonstrated reasonably good knowledge of the anesthesiologist's role, which can be attributed, in part, to the mandatory rotation in anesthesia. In terms of factors influencing career choice, a good lifestyle was found to be the most influential, followed by income, the doctor-patient relationship, and the prestige of the specialty.

Applicant Selection for Anesthesiology Residency Programs in Saudi Arabia

Background

Anesthesiology is a medical specialty that involves pre, intra, and postoperative surgical and medical procedures; it is a profession shaped by the clinician’s medical knowledge and manual dexterity. To date, very few studies have addressed the selection criteria and factors associated with the applicant selection process for anesthesia residency programs in Saudi Arabia.

Objectives

We aimed to define the criteria, factors, and guidelines for candidate selection in anesthesia residency programs in Saudi Arabia.

Methodology

This was a cross-sectional study conducted using electronic questionnaires that were distributed to anesthesiology program directors in Saudi Arabia via email. The questionnaire was divided into six sections, and each section included various parameters such as demographic data, cognitive/academic activities, non-cognitive/non-academic activities, individual qualities, and red flags or negative factors of the individual. The participants rated each parameter, and the collected data were analyzed for statistical significance (p≤0.05).

Results

A total of 28 programs were included in this survey. All 14 parameters associated with individual qualities were found to be significantly important for applicant selection (p≤0.05). Except for delayed entry into residency after graduation, all 12 parameters associated with red flags or negative characteristics of individuals were significant for candidate selection (p≤0.05).

Conclusion

The results showed that academic/cognitive factors and non-academic/non-cognitive factors, along with the individual characteristics of the applicant, were given priority when selecting candidates for anesthesiology residency programs in Saudi Arabia.

Factors influencing medical students' choice of specialization: A gender based systematic review

BACKGROUND

Students' choice of medical specialties has evolved throughout year, with a growing interest in quality of life and in technological specialties. We investigated the repartition of such choices in the world and its influencing factors with a focus on the gender's influence, for helping policy-makers to deal with medical shortage and territorial to specialty disconnect.

METHODS

A systematic search was conducted on MEDLINE and Scopus from January 2010 to January 2020. Data extraction and analysis followed JBI and PRISMA recommendations. The selected articles had to focus on medical students, detail their choice of specialty, and look for factors influencing their choice. Articles were excluded if they only assessed the attractiveness of a specialty, or evaluated a public policy. This review was registered on PROSPERO, CRD 42020169227.

FINDINGS

751 studies were screened, and fifty-four were included. Surgery and internal medicine were the most wanted specialties, both in occidental and non-occidental countries. The main factors influencing the choice of specialty were lifestyle, work-life balance and discipline interest, with variation across different countries. Gender clearly affected this choice with 63.7% of men willing radiology and 14.7% of men in obstetrics and gynecology.

INTERPRETATION

Influential factors vary with specialty and are affected by the country of residence. Gender has a great impact in students' willingness to work in specific specialties. Policymakers should adapt their appealing strategies according to the country and the medical discipline concerned.

FUNDING

The authors have no support or funding to report.