Factors Influencing the Choice of Plastic Surgery as a Specialty in Saudi Arabia

Abstract

Graduates of medical school must choose a specific specialty as a life-long practice from a large pool of medical specialties. This decision stands out as one of the most memorable and critical in their lifetimes. To reach such a decision with satisfaction, medical school graduates consider a variety of factors. This is the first study to explore the influential factors on pursuing plastic surgery as a career in Saudi Arabia. METHODS: This is a cross-sectional, unicentral study based on an electronic questionnaire that has been constructed with an assistance of field experts to ensure a sufficient coverage of the influential factors. Only those with an established interest in plastic surgery were included. Institutional review board approval was obtained for this study. RESULTS: = 20). The factors that influenced their decision of specialty choice were the geographic advantage (81.3%), predominance of nonurgent cases (71.9%), the reward associated with immediate outcome (71.9%), and prior significant events (71.9%). CONCLUSIONS: Certain factors, as explored by this study, strongly influence the choice of plastic surgery as a future specialty, among Saudi medical graduates. Cultivating more knowledge about plastic surgery as a specialty may help consider scientific research as an impactful factor in the future for further development in the field.

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