RATE OF CHANGING SPECIALTY AND ITS DETERMINANTS AMONG PREVENTIVE MEDICINE RESIDENTS IN SAUDI ARABIA 2023

Introduction: This study explores the impact of changing specialties on medical residents, including increased workload for remaining residents and missed opportunities for other postgraduates. The lack of similar studies in Saudi Arabia, particularly in the Makkah region, motivates this research to measure the rate and determinants of specialty changes. The goal is to reduce the impact on residents and centers, improve the matching system, and aid future postgraduate specialization choices. Methodology: Cross-sectional study Analytic type was carried out using a online questionnaire. A simple random sampling technique was performed by the stat trek website to select the candidates. SPSS version 26 was used for data entry analysis. Results: This research study evaluated preventive medicine residents in Saudi Arabia who changed their specialty previously. A significant majority of 67.3% had prior experience as GPs. Among the residents surveyed, 3.5% had a duration of work as a resident of less than 1 year. The majority of residents, comprising 23.9%, had worked for 1 year. Regarding the residents who had previously changed their specialization or withdrew from a specialization program, the majority (86.7%) had not changed their specialization or withdrawal. However, 8.0% had changed their specialty, and 5.3% had withdrawn from a specialization program. Reasons for changing specialty included work-life balance (34.8%), mismatched interests (39.1%) and suffering from health problem (4.3%). Gender showed a significant association with changing specialty, majority of female (60%) withdraw from the specialty (p = 0.021). Conclusion: This study findings underscore the importance of addressing factors such as work-life balance and career aspirations to improve resident satisfaction and retention. Medical institutions and policymakers should consider these findings when designing interventions and support systems aimed at enhancing the professional development and well-being of residents in Preventive Medicine. Further research is warranted to explore the underlying factors contributing to specialty changes and to develop targeted strategies for retaining residents in their chosen fields.