Factors Influencing Medical Interns' Choice of Hospital for Training, Saudi Arabia: A Cross-Sectional Study.

Abstract

Background High-quality, adequately resourced, and strategically oriented medical internship training plays a pivotal role in the continual growth of junior doctors. Evaluating the perspectives of final-year medical students regarding their internship year and their preferred placement is of paramount importance. This study aims to furnish internship programs with valuable insights into interns' perceptions and attitudes toward an optimal internship experience. By doing so, we aim to empower internship programs with the necessary knowledge to enhance their offerings, ensuring they are better tailored to the needs and preparation of future doctors. Objective The objective of this study was to elucidate the primary factors that influence the preferences of medical interns in selecting a hospital for their internship training. Methods In the academic year spanning September 2023 to 2024, a comprehensive cross-sectional study was conducted at three esteemed medical universities in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. A meticulously crafted questionnaire, consisting of twenty questions was disseminated via various social media platforms, targeting all final-year medical students of the selected medical schools. Overall 241 students actively participated in the survey, their valuable contributions enriching the overall quality and depth of the research findings. Results Among the 241 respondents, 67.22% were male, 83.40% identified as Saudi, and 43.57% hailed from King Saud bin Abdulaziz University for Health Sciences (KSAU-HS). A predominant 94.61% of participants fell within the age group of 22-25 years. Notably, the top four influential factors influencing participants' choice of internship training programs were encouraging consultants (93.80%), the hospital working environment (91.29%), an internship program with effective teamwork (88.38%), and a subspecialty residency program (85.48%). Furthermore, our findings underscored that access to electronic health record (EHR) systems, orientation prior to clinical rotations, and seniors' experiences significantly impact students' decisions when selecting a hospital for rotations. It was also observed that considerations such as the number of on-calls and working hours, salary, location, and extracurricular activities wield a substantial influence over their choices, as indicated by the majority of the surveyed students. Conclusion Given that internship training is one of the most critical stages of medical education, it is recommended to take into account the elements that students believe can influence their hospital choice for conducting their internship. We hope that by acknowledging these aspects, potential approaches to improve and advance hospital training can be formulated in order to provide interns with effective training, a reasonable workload, and a conducive and supportive environment to work in.