The Ideal Applicant to the Saudi Plastic Surgery Residency Program

Abstract

Background: Securing a plastic surgery position is a demanding task for students. Although many papers have been published internationally discussing the traits and features deemed important from the point of view of plastic surgery program directors, a gap exists in the literature where this aspect is not covered in Saudi Arabia. The aim of this study was to fill this gap. Methods: In this cross-sectional study, a survey was developed targeting all current and former Saudi plastic surgery training program directors. SPSS was used to calculate frequencies and present percentages; independent t -test was done to look for mean differences. Ethical approval was obtained from a local institution. Results: All current and former Saudi plastic surgery program directors participated ( n = 17), including the 8 (47.1%) current directors. When asked to rank 7 items on a scale of importance, they scored a mean of 6.2, 5.8, 5.4, 4.88, 4.82, 4.6, and 3.7 for good impression on interviews, prior experience, research experience, the grade point average (GPA), oral or poster presentations on events, the Saudi Medical Licensing Examination (SMLE), and attaining a post-graduate degree, respectively. The majority [ n = 7 (41%)] considers the mode of communication, such as phone calls, as the most important aspect in recommendations. They prefer candidates who took electives/rotations at their department [ n = 12 (71%)] and give more value to high-quality publications [ n = 9 (47%)]. Applicant’s gender was not important. Conclusion: With early planning, this article could serve as a guide for medical students interested in plastic surgery to build their assets toward a successful interview.

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

“…Mardan et al’s Saudi study found that research experience is the most important selection criterion. This goes against our study in which communication skills, clinical rotation, and leadership were the most important criteria [ 12 ].…”

“…In this survey, the majority of PDs regarded the recommendation’s mode of communication such as phone calls as the most crucial component. They considered high-quality publications as more highly preferred applicants who had completed electives or rotations in their department [ 12 ].…”

Knowledge and Perception of Plastic Surgery Among Medical Students in the Western Region of Saudi Arabia

“…In Saudi Arabia, there are limited training options for plastic or reconstructive surgery (16), and it would be advantageous to learn the medical students' attributes, characteristics, and other factors that influence their decision in pursuing this surgical subspecialty. Thus, our study explored the knowledge and perceptions of plastic surgery among medical students pursuing their degree in the Western region of KSA.…”

Medical Students’ Attitudes and Influential Factors Towards Conducting Medical Research

“…It has been reported that Saudi residency program directors in competitive specialties, such as plastic surgery, anesthesiology, and urology, prefer candidates who have high-quality research publications. [27][28][29] In contrast, specialties that are relatively less competitive in Saudi Arabia, such as internal medicine, obstetrics and gynecology, family medicine, and pediatrics have fewer publications. 30 This issue extends to the United States as orthopedic residency program applicants list research projects in their resumes as 'submitted'; but, in reality, remain frequently unpublished or published in low-impact journals.…”