Factors influencing urology physicians in Saudi Arabia for choosing their subspecialty program

The aim of the study was to identify factors that influence urology physicians for choosing subspecialty and to know the most competitive urology subspecialty among residents.

An online questionnaire was sent to all Saudi Urology residents, registrars, and fellows all over Saudi Arabia, during February 2019-June 2019. The survey included demographic data, level and location of training, a subspecialty of interest, as well as 15 influencing factors that could affect physicians' choice in the form of Likert scale, ranging from strongly disagree = 0 to strongly agree = 4.

Of the 193 urology Saudi physicians, 85 replied (44.1%). Their mean age was 29 + 3.2 years. The majority of them were male (98.8%). There were 66 (77.6%) residents, 12 (14.1%) were fellows, and 7 (8.2%) were registrars. Four factors were found to be significantly different across positions, i.e., personal interest in the subspecialty, patient's prognosis, potential to join a private hospital, and family/friend advice. Among residents, the highest score means of the impact factors were the patient's prognosis, potential to join a private hospital and family/friend advice. The most prominent factors that influence urology physicians to select their subspecialty were personal interest in the specialty (88.2%), followed by the patient prognosis and lifestyle (84.7%, 78.8%). About 28.2% of the participants have a desire of endourology, followed by infertility and pediatric urology (23.5% and 20%, respectively).

The most influencing factors among urology physicians for choosing their subspecialty are the patient's prognosis and personal interest. Female medical graduates should be encouraged to join a urology residency.