Abstract
BackgroundThe increase in the enrollment of orthopedic surgery residents in multiple fellowship programs has gained considerable interest. Different factors may determine the specialty and number of fellowships trainees enroll in. This study aimed to elucidate these factors and determinants among orthopedic trainees.MethodsThis is a descriptive cross-sectional study, which was conducted among orthopedic surgical trainees (residency and fellowship training programs) in Saudi Arabia, between March 2021 and May 2021. The data were obtained through an online anonymous questionnaire aiming to clarify the most influential factors that determine the number of fellowships trainees choose, as well as to compare the choice of single fellowships with those of multiple ones.ResultsTwo hundred and fifty orthopedic trainees (201 (80%) males and 49 (20%) females) completed the survey. Among them, 216 (86%) and 34 (14%) were residents and fellows, respectively, and 81% (n = 203) of the trainees preferred multiple fellowship training, and 22% (n = 47) preferred a single fellowship specialty. Notably, the male trainees preferred multiple fellowships to a single one (85% vs. 62%, p-value = 0.001), while the female trainees preferred single fellowships to multiple ones (38% vs. 15%, p-value = 0.001). The expected rate of income (17% vs. 9%), job opportunities in the private sector (17% vs. 9%), and availability and guarantee of jobs (33% vs. 23%) were the most significant factors that influenced the choices of the participants toward enrolling in multiple fellowships (p-values = 0.001, 0.001, and 0.004, respectively).ConclusionsThe study demonstrated that most of the orthopedic trainees in Saudi Arabia prefer the pursuits of multiple fellowship programs. Further, the female trainees preferred single fellowships, whereas the male ones preferred multiple fellowships. The main influencing factors for pursuing multiple fellowships were determined to be private job opportunities, financial gains, and job guarantees.
Highlights
The increase in the enrollment of orthopedic surgery residents in multiple fellowship programs has gained considerable interest
The inclusion criteria were as follows: orthopedic residents planning to undergo fellowship training and fellows who had enrolled in the fellowship training program
Fifteen residents were excluded from the study; 6% (n = 13) were unsure of their interest in undergoing fellowship programs and 0.9% (n = 2) preferred careers in general orthopedic practice to undergoing fellowship
Summary
The increase in the enrollment of orthopedic surgery residents in multiple fellowship programs has gained considerable interest. Different factors may determine the specialty and number of fellowships trainees enroll in. Fellowship training programs are an extension of the residency-training journey; they are crucial to preparing the trainees for subsequent practice and careers. The pursuit of multiple fellowship specialties in Alomar Journal of Orthopaedic Surgery and Research (2022) 17:44 professionals [3]. Fellowships provide additional experience to the trainee and can strengthen a weak area that was not well-addressed during the residency training. Subspecializing can improve academic and research outcomes within specific orthopedic specialties. Subspecialization improves patient outcomes and care delivery; for example, fellowship-trained surgeons account for a high proportion of performed procedures (78–85%) within their areas of subspecialties [2]. It has been proven that the procedures, which were performed by subspecialized, high-volume surgeons, produced better outcomes than those performed by nonsubspecialized ones [7,8,9]
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