Factors Influencing Residents’ Specialty Choices and Satisfaction: Impact of Gender, Career Motivation and Life Goals

Abstract

OBJECTIVE: Resident physicians working in medical specialties play an essential role in the makeup of the healthcare workforce. However, there is little theoretical understanding of how different medical specialties are perceived or how residents' choices are made. Many factors can influence resident physicians' choice of specialty. Previous studies have looked at personality differences within specialties, but were unable to describe the heterogeneity of viewpoints that existed within each specialty. Our objective, was to gather information about factors related to resident's life goals and career motivation as a means of improving residency program design and enhancing the college's advisory capacity. DESIGN: Our study used a self-report anonymous questionnaire to characterize the relationship between resident physicians' preferences and their choice of specialty. SETTING: King Saud University & King Saud University Medical City. PARTICIPANTS: 353 residents. RESULTS: The majority of respondents reported that their current specialty was one of their top three choices. Almost half were satisfied with their residency program, and 24.1% were very satisfied. Gender, specialty, and workload demonstrated significant associations with residency program satisfaction. CONCLUSIONS: Our findings highlight the effects of career motivation and life goals for resident physicians in enhancing their career satisfaction. Ensuring that residents are able to find time for personal needs has important consequences for their perceptions of wellbeing and may be an effective strategy for promoting career satisfaction.