Cultural and academic barriers toward physician-scientist (MD-PhD) careers: A mixed methods study

Abstract

In Saudi Arabia, there is yet to be a single MD-PhD program established despite calls for its implementation. Herein, we assess students’ and stakeholders’ perceived barriers and opinions towards the implementation of such a program. A mixed-method design was used. For the quantitative part, a sample of 190 medical students completed a pre-validated survey that addressed procedural, bureaucratic, and environmental challenges to the implementation of the program. In addition, three semi-structured interviews with stakeholders had been carried out to address the implementation of an MD-PhD track. While the semi-structured interviews resulted in a wide array of responses, most students indicated that limited funding (55.7%) and predicted high workload (63.2%) were amongst the most significant hurdles to enrolling in an MD-PhD if offered to do so. In addition, first-generation students and female students were less likely to encourage the establishment of such a program. This study reported multiple significant barriers to pursuing an MD-PhD track in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. The findings of this study reflect the complexity of implementing an MD-PhD program in the country and can be useful for concerning bodies to holistically consider predicted barriers that students may face when establishing an MD-PhD.