Factors Influencing Selection of Orthopedic Residency Among Medical Students in Saudi Arabia.

Objectives: To evaluate the factors influencing medical students' specialty choices for orthopedics at the University of Hail, Saudi Arabia.

Methods: The cross-sectional study used a self-administered questionnaire and collected data from students who satisfied the research criteria.

Results: The study included 108 participants and identified several key factors influencing medical students' choice of orthopedic specialties, such as job opportunities, lifestyle in the specialty, family responsibilities, training hours, and expected income in 94%, 83%, 83%, 80.6%, and 81%, respectively. A statistically significant association was observed between having relatives in the health professions and choosing an orthopedic specialty (P = 0.003), indicating that this factor was important in their decision-making. However, no significant association was found regarding gender or academic year concerning the selection of orthopedic specialty (P > 0.05). The study also revealed a statistically significant difference between female and male students concerning the influence of specialty reputation on their choice (P = 0.033). Despite this, no significant differences were noted between genders regarding the impact of the other factors.

Conclusion: Medical students' choice of orthopedic specialty was primarily driven by job prospects, lifestyle, family responsibilities, training hours, expected income, and having a relative in health professions. In addition, more male students chose orthopedics due to its reputation associated with the specialty.