the ideal applicant to emergency medicine residency programs in saudi arabia; program directors’ view

Objective: emergency medicine (em) is considered a competitive specialty worldwide with an acceptance rate of 57% in canada, but it is even more competitive in saudi arabia with 18.7% acceptance. factors that may influenced the applicant’s acceptance into residency programs included letters of commendation, interview performance, research experience, and gender. this study aims to determine the factors playing a role in applicantsmatching to em residency programs in saudi arabia from the viewpoint of program directors.methods: a pilot study was done using a self-administered questionnaire distributed to em residency program directors (pds) in saudi arabia during the period of 16-21 november 2021. the data were analyzed using spss, and all ethical considerations were observed. results: twenty-seven pds participated in the study, 19 (70.4%) were male, and most were former pds (59.3%). the most crucial aspect in the applicant’s acceptance was the excellent impression in the interview (4.00 ± 1.00).the most crucial aspect of recommendation letters was a recommendation from a program director (29.6%). inaddition, total duration of electives inem(40.7%)was important, quality in emresearch (29.6%) played a critical role, and professionalism (29.6%) was the factor sought during the interview. the pd’s gender or status or the region of the program did not significantly affect the preference of the applicant’s gender. conclusion: for those considering em residency programs in saudi arabia, the chance of getting accepted canbe increased by getting a recommendation from a program director, increasing the duration of electives in em, focusing on the research quality, and showing professionalism during the interview.