Reasons for resident resignations from Orthopedic Residency Programs in Turkey: A cross-sectional survey from residents’ perspectives

Objective: The aim of this study was to analyse the factors that led to resignations from Orthopaedics and Traumatology Residency programmes in Turkey, and to determine the overall rate of resignation among residents from Orthopaedics and Traumatology programmes. Methods: In this cross-sectional survey,120 residents who either resigned or transferred to other OT clinics between autumn of 2013 and spring of 2020 were included. They were asked to complete a questionnare which was sent via Whatssapp application or e-mail. The questionnare was comprised of 2 sections; Section A, which adressed resignation, consisted of 15 questions and Section B, which adressed transfer to another OT programme, consisted of 12 questions. Both sections had open ended and multiple choice questions. Results: Of 120 residents, 96 (6.6%) resigned and then transferred to another specialty, and 24 (1.6%) transferred to another orthopedics and traumatology clinic based on our review. The overall resignation rate as per the total quotas for orthopedics and traumatology residency from 2013 to 2020 was 8.2%. Of the 120 orthopedics and traumatology residents who were eligible for the survey, 83 (70%) completed the questionnaire. Sixty-one (60 males, 1 female; median age = 26 years; age range = 25-35) of 96 residents who resigned from the orthopedics and traumatology residency completed section A (the response rate was 63.5%); 22 (22 males; median age = 27.6 years; age range = 25-34) out of 24 residents who transferred to another orthopedics and traumatology clinic completed section B (the response rate was 91.6%). In section A, 40 out of 61 individuals (65.5%) preferred orthopedics and traumatology specialty as the first choice in TUS, and 34 residents (55.7%) reported not to have had enough information regarding the residency program before starting their clinics. In section B, out of the 22 residents, 13 (59%) stated that orthopedics and traumatology residency was not their first choice in TUS, and 18 (81.8%) reported not to have had sufficient knowledge about the preferred clinic. The most common reason for resignation or transfer to another specialty was heavy workload (n = 46, 74.19%), followed by excessive hours of work (n = 45, 72.58%). The most common reason for transfer to another orthopedics and traumatology clinic was drudgery (n = 10, 45.5%), followed by problems with the hierarchy in orthopedics and traumatology residency (n = 9, 40.9%). Conclusion: The results of this survey have shown us, with an overall resignation rate of 8.2% as per the total quotas for OT residency from 2013 to 2020, that resignation from OT residency represents an important problem in Turkey. Workload and excessive hours of work were the most common reasons for resignation from orthopaedic residency programmes. Furthermore, extra work that diverted residents from their actual job responsibilities, as well as academic and educational concerns, were the main factors leading to transfer to another OT residency programme.