Criteria of acceptance in the Saudi program of anesthesia and intensive care

BACKGROUND: The scientific congress of Anesthesia and Intensive Care of the Saudi Commission for Health Specialties aims to review and improve the guidelines for the selection process of trainees, a selection process that is based on equal opportunity and upholds the principles of consistency, objectiveness, transparency, and procedural fairness. The study represents a step toward the goal of fostering quality patient care, by adopting a selection process that would result in graduating good, committed, and competent specialists. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Reports of admission examinations in Jeddah, Riyadh, and the Eastern region have been collected, and they contain detailed lists of names, scores, and percentages of the criteria of admissions, that is, MBBS 25%, General Examination 50%, Interview 25%, and overall score of 100%. RESULTS: Mean MBBS scores, average general examination scores, average interview scores, and average overall scores were not statistically different between candidates from different regions. The leading predictor was the ‘Interview Score’. 49.5% of variation in the dependent variable (overall score) could be significantly explained (F = 69.4, P < 0.05) by the independent variable ‘Interview Score’. The second predictor was the ‘MBBS score’. CONCLUSION: The three components MBBS, General Examination, and Interview, were significant predictors of the overall score. The leading predictor was the ‘Interview Score’. The author recommended that the selection process should be under continuous review. The general interview guide approach is recommended to ensure that the same general areas of information are collected from each interviewer. Questions of a personal or discriminatory nature should be avoided.