Factors Related to the Career Plans of Israeli Orthopedic Surgery Residents and their Views on a Career in Arthroplasty
2Pat Matthews Academic School of Nursing, Hillel Yaffe Medical Center
Introduction:
Due to the aging population and increased longevity, there is a rising demand for orthopedic surgeons specializing in arthroplasty. In order to address this demand, it is necessary to analyze the available supply of surgeons by exploring the career plans of orthopedic residents and fellowship decision-making factors.
Aim of the Study:
To explore factors related to the career plans of Israeli orthopedic surgery residents and their views on a career in arthroplasty.
Patients and Methods:
A cross-sectional survey. 150 residents completed a questionnaire exploring their level of interest in various subspecialties and the factors that guided their choice.
Results:
The arthroplasty subspecialty was found to be less popular than the orthopedic trauma subspecialty (65.8%), slightly less popular than the sports (55.1%), spine (53.4%), and hand (53.1%) subspecialties, but more popular than the rest of the subspecialties. Intellectual, educational/interpersonal, lifestyle, and economic factors all seem to play an important role in the choice of subspecialty, with intellectual factors being the most important. Residents interested in the arthroplasty subspecialty were guided by similar factors in their choice of subspecialty as those not interested in this subspecialty. However, a higher percent of residents who expressed a high level of interest in the arthroplasty subspecialty were guided by the pay factor (high salary). No association was found between residents` sociodemographic factors and their level of interest in the arthroplasty subspecialty. However, residents differed in the extent to which different factors guided them in their choice, based on gender and nationality.
Conclusion:
The arthroplasty subspecialty seems to be popular as a career choice among Israeli orthopedic surgery residents, however it does not top the list. Suitable marketing and recruitment strategies should be applied to attract more residents to this subspecialty. These strategies should refer to intellectual, educational/interpersonal, lifestyle, and economic aspects of the arthroplasty subspecialty.