Factors Influencing the Choice of Radiology Subspecialty Among Radiology Trainees in Saudi Arabia

Background Differential choices of radiology subspecialties by radiology trainees can cause shortages in some subspecialties. The objective of the current study was to evaluate the relative preference of different radiology subspecialties and the influencing factors among radiology trainees in Saudi Arabia. Methods An online questionnaire was developed based on previous publications and was used to collect the data from radiology trainees in Saudi Arabia during August 2018. The relative importance of potential personal and work-related factors was assessed using Likert-scaled responses. Results A total of 105 radiology trainees were included in the current analysis. Approximately 64.8% of the trainees were males. A total of eight subspecialties were reported, with the most frequent being interventional radiology (20%), neuroradiology (19%), abdominal/gastrointestinal (15.2%), and musculoskeletal (14.3%). Personal factors that were reported as extremely or very important included strong personal interest (84.8%), successful/enjoyable rotation during training (84.8%), and intellectual challenge (76.2%). Work-related factors that were reported as extremely or very important included direct impact on patient care (84.8%), advanced or a variety of imaging modalities (81%), direct professional contact (77.1%), and favorable/flexibility of working hours and on-call commitments (77.1%). The subspecialty of interventional radiology was more frequently chosen by male trainees (p = 0.006), while the gynecological/breast subspecialty was exclusively chosen by female trainees (p < 0.001). Conclusion In addition to gender-specific differences, we are reporting several important personal and professional factors that influence the choice of radiology subspecialty. These findings can potentially help the directors of radiology training in making evidence-based modifications to their residency programs to ensure the maintenance of a sufficient radiology workforce.