THE EFFECT OF GENDER ON CHOOSING RADIOLOGY AS A CAREER AMONG MEDICAL STUDENTS AND INTERNS IN SAUDI ARABIA.

Background:- In regards to radiology, according to recent statistics and studies, the numbers of male radiologists actively involved in the specialty have always been greater compared to female radiologists in international institutions worldwide. Objectives:- To determine whether there is a difference between males and females in choosing Radiology as a career choice in Saudi Arabia and the reasons behind making the decision. Materials and methods:- A cross-sectional study was carried out. A questionnaire was formed and established electronically on https://www.surveymonkey.com/s/radiologycareer. The questionnaire was anonymous and targeted medical students and interns in all universities in Saudi Arabia. And they asked about factors contributed on choosing radiology as a career. The results were stratified by gender. Results:- The study included 404 students. A 46.8% of male students compared to 16.3% of female will choose Radiology as a future career, p<0.001. More than one quarter of male students (26.6%) compared to 17.9% of female students reported that, Radiology as being not a surgical specialty had affected their decision. The difference was statistically significant, p=0.037. Exactly half of female students compared to only 5.7% of male students agreed that the social life in Saudi Arabia played a role in making their decision in career choosing. About two-thirds of female students (65.9%) compared to 41.4% of male students considered the limitation of on-call hours as a factor to making their decision, p<0.001. Similarly, 63.4% of female students and 28.5% of male students considered the exposure to Radiation played a role in making their decision, p<0.001. For females, considering future pregnancy has affected decision was reported by 64.6% of them. Conclusion:- There is a significant difference between male and female medical students in choosing Radiology as a future career. They differed somewhat in the importance they put on about motivational factors.