Current status and problems of orthopaedic residents in Thailand and Myanmar

Background: There is no research about current experiences of orthopaedic residents in Thailand and Myanmar. Methods: A questionnaire survey was distributed among Thai and Myanmar orthopaedic residents to assess their current experiences. This study included a total of 168 participants, comprising 92 orthopaedic residents in Thailand, and 76 in Myanmar who answered the questionnaire. The survey comprised nine questions about issues such as the contents of residency training programs, current training satisfaction, and future careers. The survey was administered anonymously between October 2020 and January 2021. Results: Regarding training content, 24 residents (14.3%) reported being "very satisfied", 103 (61.3%) were "satisfied", 37 (22.0%) were "moderately satisfied", and four (2.4%) were "dissatisfied", and respondents spent a mean of 3.1 h/day reading textbooks and research papers. As for salary, five (3.0%) residents answered "satisfied", 46 (27.4%) responded "moderately satisfied", and 117 (69.6%) were "dissatisfied". Conclusions: Many orthopedic residents in Thailand and Myanmar were enthusiastic about and satisfied with their training. Their only problem was that the salary was low.