King Saud bin Abdulaziz University for Health Sciences, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
King Abdullah International Medical Research Center, King Abdulaziz Medical City, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
BMC Med Educ. 2024 Sep 2;24(1):956. doi: 10.1186/s12909-024-05926-w.
Pediatrics is one of the most important medical specialties in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia) KSA) since it serves a large population. Therefore, the pediatrics residency program is considered one of the most important and competitive programs. Obtaining acceptance in Saudi programs depends mainly on the Saudi Commission for Health Specialties (SCFHS) score, then the applicant enrolls to do the interviews with the training centers in the accepted region. This study aimed to evaluate the factors used by pediatric program directors (PD) in accepting applicants in their pediatric residency program in KSA.
In this cross-sectional study, an online questionnaire consisting of 49 items was distributed among 76 current and former pediatric PDs in KSA. Participants were selected via non-probability convenience sampling. Data were collected and analyzed using the Social Sciences Statistical Package (SPSS version 26).
Of the sample of PD studied, males represented 77.6%, while females represented 22.4%. Most of the PDs were over 50 years old. Most of them were former pediatric PDs (71.1%). The current study found that the Saudi Medical Licensing Exam was the most important factor [3.87 (0.89)] followed by services and electives [3.86 (0.65)], research [3.84 (0.83)], interview [3.77 (0.89)], GPA [3.50 (0.62)], and letter of recommendation [3.39 (0.76)].
For those interested in pediatrics residency programs in KSA, this study recommends that seeking a high Saudi Medical Licensing Exam (SMLE) score, taking pediatric elective rotations during internship, and acquiring excellent basic knowledge in research were the most important aspects of pediatrics residency selection from the pediatrics PD's perspective.
儿科学是沙特阿拉伯王国（KSA）最重要的医学专业之一，因为它服务于大量人口。因此，儿科学住院医师培训计划被认为是最重要和最具竞争力的计划之一。在沙特计划中获得接受主要取决于沙特卫生专业人员委员会（SCFHS）的分数，然后申请人注册参加接受地区的培训中心的面试。本研究旨在评估儿科计划主任（PD）在接受沙特儿科学住院医师培训计划中的申请人时使用的因素。
在这项横断面研究中，向沙特阿拉伯的 76 名现任和前任儿科 PD 分发了一份包含 49 个项目的在线问卷。参与者通过非概率便利抽样选择。使用社会科学统计包（SPSS 版本 26）收集和分析数据。
在所研究的 PD 样本中，男性占 77.6%，而女性占 22.4%。大多数 PD 年龄超过 50 岁。他们中的大多数人以前是儿科 PD（71.1%）。目前的研究发现，沙特医学执照考试是最重要的因素[3.87（0.89）]，其次是服务和选修课程[3.86（0.65）]、研究[3.84（0.83）]、面试[3.77（0.89）]、平均绩点[3.50（0.62）]和推荐信[3.39（0.76）]。
对于那些对沙特儿科学住院医师培训计划感兴趣的人，本研究建议，从儿科 PD 的角度来看，寻求高沙特医学执照考试（SMLE）分数、在实习期间参加儿科选修课程以及获得出色的研究基础知识是儿科住院医师选择的最重要方面。
