Effect of Surgery Before and After Clerkship on the Attitude of Medical Students Toward Surgery as a Future Career in Saudi Arabia

Background: It is becoming harder and harder to persuade talented medical students to choose carers in any of the medical specialties. According to studies, the majority of medical students make their final career decisions while still in college. Various student and institution-related aspects are crucial to the decision on specialization. Gender, age, marital status, prestige influence, surgical mentors, career potential, intellectual challenge, and clerkship experience are among the variables recognized as having a major impact on the decision to choose surgery as a career. Methods: The data were collected through an online self-administered questionnaire. The study is a questionnaire-based cross-sectional study. The target population of this study included medical students in the fourth year and above from Saudi Arabia. Results: This study was conducted in Saudi Arabia with 835 participants, of whom 62.4% and 37.6% were female and male, respectively. The majority of respondents (83.2%) fell within the age range of 18 - 25 years. The largest representation of participants came from the western region (29.7%), followed by the southern region (27.4%). Regarding career aspirations, 60.5% were willing to pursue a career in surgery; however, 39.5% expressed a negative inclination. Among medical students, general surgery students showed no significant change in attitudes before and after a surgical clerkship; nevertheless, other specialties remained largely unaffected. Factors influencing the choice of a surgical career included lifestyle concerns, perception of working hours, prestige, manual activity, intellectual challenge, research opportunities, work-life balance, financial considerations, and patient perception. Conclusions: This study indicated that a significant percentage of participants expressed a positive inclination toward pursuing a career in surgery. However, a surgical clerkship did not significantly influence the attitudes of medical students toward general surgery or other specialties. Factors such as lifestyle concerns, working hours, prestige, intellectual challenge, and financial considerations played crucial roles in shaping career choices among medical students.