3.1.3 Factors considered in pursuing a career in cardiothoracic surgery
A number of papers evaluated the various factors that shape perception and interest of CT surgery as a career. In Algethami et al. (5), 17 factors were identified, out of which 5 were considered attractive or strongly attractive and 2 categorised as deterring factors. The most attractive quality was the ability to save and influence patients’ lives (65.9%) followed by the skills involved in surgery (55.3%) and the flexibility of practicing worldwide (59.2%). The main challenging factors identified were the limited geographical locations to practice in Saudi Arabia as well as the competitive nature of jobs and training posts. In a similar study by Preece R. et al. (12), the same discouraging factors resulted to be the most significant however, in addition to the encouraging factors reported in Algethami et al., intellectual challenge (72.4%) and the opportunity to do research and innovate (69.0%) were also key factors. In the UK study, more students regarded the ability to practice worldwide as an important factor (79.3% compared to 59.2%).
Coyan et al. (13) compared the determinants of CT surgery as the top choice in interested students and non-interested students. For both groups, work/life balance was the highest-ranked deterrent factor (82% of responses) followed by other factors such as limited pathology of patients, length and difficulty of training, high stress and constantly dealing with death and personalities of CT surgeons. Meanwhile, personal satisfaction and intellectual challenge were highly regarded equally . However, for students with interest, research opportunities, and potential for new technologies were more highly valued whilst work-life balance was not as highly influential. Dissimilarly in non-interested students: Professional satisfaction and work-life balance were both important. In women, other crucial points were highlighted such as the ability to address health inequalities as a positive factor and the impact of work of family planning as a negative quality. Similar findings were reported in Meza et al. (14). Despite intellectual interest (91%) and lifestyle (86%) being the main goals influencing the choice of career, the ability to address health disparities (52% responses) and salary (46%) were not uncommonly noted (Figure 2).