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. 2022 Nov 7;14(11):e31218.
doi: 10.7759/cureus.31218. eCollection 2022 Nov.

Program Directors' Selection Criteria for General Surgery and Internal Medicine Residency Programs: A Cross-Sectional Study

Mohammad I Almatrafi  1 , Nardeen I Alsweed  2 , Afrah A Alharthi  3 , Abdulaziz S Aljuaid  1 , Radwan J Samkari  1 , Mohannad T Hemdi  4 , Rani Alsairafi  4
Affiliations

Program Directors' Selection Criteria for General Surgery and Internal Medicine Residency Programs: A Cross-Sectional Study

Mohammad I Almatrafi et al. Cureus. .

Abstract

Background and aims General surgery is a specialty that calls for a variety of abilities such as strong hand-eye coordination, the ability to function well under pressure, and the ability to make quick, informed decisions. On the other hand, internal medicine focuses on diagnosing, treating, and preventing adult non-surgical disorders. The present study aims to investigate the commonly used selection criteria employed by program directors (PDs) for general surgery and internal medicine residency programs. It also identifies how PDs value those criteria in the western and central regions of Saudi Arabia. Methods A retrospective cross-sectional study was conducted using a questionnaire adopted from the literature and modified following expert opinion. It was distributed to PDs in both the central and the western regions of Saudi Arabia. Results In total, 34 PDs completed the questionnaire, of which 32 (94.1%) were men. The mean age of participants was 42.53 ± 5.05 years; 21 (61.8%) PDs were general surgeons, and 47.1% were from the Jeddah region. Conclusion The study showed that the most selected criterion for both specialties was communication skills followed by clinical rotation in the same hospital; leadership skills were also highly considered by PDs.

Keywords: applicant selection; general surgery; internal medicine; program directors; residency.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors have declared that no competing interests exist.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1. Important and very important selection criteria for GS and INTMED residency programs
GS: General surgery; INTMED: Internal medicine.
Figure 2
Figure 2. Relationship between the participants’ gender and rating of the importance of the recommendation letter (N = 34)
χ2 = 15.93, p-value = 0.003.
Figure 3
Figure 3. Relationship between the participants’ region and rating of the importance of clinical rotation in the same hospital (electives) (N = 34)
χ2 = 23.11, p-value = 0.006
Figure 4
Figure 4. Relationship between the participants’ region and rating of the importance of the dean’s list (N = 34)
χ2 = 25.14, p-value = 0.014.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

References

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