Career Paths of Emergency Medicine Residents From a Tertiary Care Center in a Low-to-Middle Income Country

Emergency medicine (EM) graduates' career trajectories have a direct impact on the overall healthcare workforce.

To describe career paths of EM graduates in a tertiary care center in Lebanon at initial appointment and 5 years postgraduation.

Secondary data from an alumni database of EM resident graduates (2015-2025 cohorts) from the American University of Beirut Medical Center EM residency training program were utilized in this study.

A total of 49 graduates were included in our analysis. Of these, 42.9% of graduates were employed initially. Of the 21 graduates who were employed initially, 52.4% were employed in academic and 47.6% in nonacademic settings, and 90.5% in private institutions. Moreover, 57.1% pursued advanced education immediately postgraduation, with 71.4% undertaking fellowships. There was a significant shift towards employment (79.2% vs. 50.0% initially, p = 0.04) and away from advanced education (20.8% vs. 50.0% initially, p = 0.04) at 5 years postgraduation (N = 24). Although employment increased at 5 years, a significant number (20.8%) were pursuing advanced education, with a higher proportion choosing options other than fellowships (60.0% vs. 0% initially). More graduates were employed in nonacademic settings (57.9% vs. 20.8% initially) and abroad (54.2% vs. 33.3% initially) at 5 years. Moreover, most graduates opted for full-time over part-time positions both initially (83.3% vs. 16.7%) and at 5 years (100.0% vs. 0.0%).

These findings highlight the evolving career trajectory of EM graduates in low-to-middle-income countries (LMICs). Further research is required to explore the reasons behind these career choices and how factors affecting career choices of EM graduates from LMICs differ from those in high-income settings.