Choosing anaesthesiology as a career: a survey of medical students and residents in Salmaniya medical complex Bahrain. What has changed over the past 15 years?

ABSTRACT

To determine the factors preventing Bahraini medical graduates to choose anesthesiology as a career. Salmaniya Medical Complex, Bahrain Prospective study 90 subjects included in this study, 42 medical students, 11 anesthesia residents, 30 resident selected from other specialties, and 7 residents selected anesthesia as a career then they changed their mind for other specialties. A set of questionnaire exclusive for each group answered, collected and analyzed Working conditions, lack of respect and financial incentives were commonly cited reasons for making this specialty unattractive. Suggestions were proposed to look into these aspects. The study reveals that anesthesiology remains as unattractive a specialty among Bahrainis as it was fifteen years ago. Efforts to increase its public awareness, improvised and accelerated teaching of anesthesiology to medical students and interns, and increased financial incentives could possibly change the picture