Satisfaction of cardiac surgery trainees with the residency training program in Saudi Arabia: a survey-based study

Abstract

There is a direct relationship between the degree of trainees’ satisfaction and their productivity. The Saudi Board of Cardiac Surgery is a new training program established by the Saudi Commission for Health Specialties. As a result, we aimed to provide helpful information and data in order to improve the overall quality of the local cardiac training program. This is the first study to look at how satisfied residents are with the Saudi cardiac surgery training program. The study included 55.3% central region residents (N = 26), 31.9% western region residents (N = 15), and others from other regions, resulting in a total of 47 participants out of 60 with a 78.3% response rate. Only 42.6% of all residents were satisfied with their training in the Saudi Board of Cardiac Surgery program, 23.4% were neutral, and 34.0% were dissatisfied with the program. The most essential area for improvement was operative experience (63.8%), followed by workplace climate (8.5%) and mentorship (6.4%), whereas the area least in need of improvement was research opportunities (2.1%). Our results indicate a decline in satisfaction level with the training program. In reference to our findings, implementing simulation-based surgical learnings and providing more frequent exposure to Boot Camp experience in cardiac surgery is recommended. Adequate and constant mentoring, and constructive feedback, represent a valuable resource for improvement theoretically and surgically.