Perceptions and Factors That Influence the Choice of Pathology as a Career Among Medical Students in Saudi Arabia.

Introduction Pathologists play a pivotal role in diagnosing diseases and improving patient care. Nonetheless, research indicates that a mere fraction of medical school graduates opt for a career in pathology, ranging from 1% to 3%. Diverse factors influence students' perceptions of pathology, encompassing lifestyle, patient interaction, and income. Aim The aim of this study was to assess the perceptions and factors that influence students' selection of pathology as a career in Saudi Arabia. Methodology A cross-sectional, self-administered electronic questionnaire was distributed among students from various regions of Saudi Arabia. The questionnaire encompassed both quantitative and qualitative data. To ensure statistical rigor, a confidence level of 95%, response distribution of 10%, and margin of error of 5% were applied. Accordingly, the recommended sample size of 150 participants was determined. Data analysis was performed using IBM SPSS Statistics for Windows, Version 24.0 (IBM Corp., Armonk, NY), with the chi-square test applied at a significance level of P < 0.05. Results Among the 664 participating students, 130 (19.6%) indicated an interest in pathology, of whom only 19 (2.9%) regarded it as their primary choice. No statistically significant difference was found between the male and female students or between the students in foundational and clinical years. Conclusions The female students generally held a more favorable perception of pathology, acknowledging its clinical significance and role in diagnosis, prognosis, and patient management. The absence of nocturnal calls emerged as the most encouraging factor, while limited patient interaction emerged as the primary deterrent in choosing pathology.

Knowledge and Attitudes of First Aid and Basic Life Support Among Public School Teachers in Qassim, Saudi Arabia.

OBJECTIVE: This study aims to address the knowledge gap in first aid and basic life support (BLS) among teachers, expand the targeted schools to elementary and intermediate schools for boys and girls, and develop clear, focused recommendations. Furthermore, to assess the knowledge, skills, and attitude of BLS among schoolteachers in Qassim, Saudi Arabia. METHODS: This cross-sectional study was conducted in the school year of 2022 to 2023. In Buraidah city and the Uyun AlJiwa and Asyah governorates of Qassim, there are a total of 906 elementary and intermediate schools employing 12,057 teachers (5447 males and 6610 females). A stratified random sampling method was used with a self-administered Arabic questionnaire. This questionnaire included multiple parts (sociodemographic data, previous training status, knowledge and skill of BLS, and assessment of the following: attitude to learn and practice CPR; barriers to performing CPR; the presence or lack of previous resuscitation experience in BLS). Data were analyzed using SPSS Statistics version 25 (IBM Corp., Armonk, NY, USA). Categorical variables were described by frequency and percentage, while continuous variables were described by mean ± SD. A normality test showed that the total knowledge and skills scale was not normally distributed. The Mann-Whitney and Kruskal-Wallis tests were used to compare the mean knowledge and skills scale across variables. The accepted level of significance was below 0.05 (p <0.05). RESULTS: Our study included 482 participants. Only 19.5% (94) had previous CPR training, and 80.9% (76) were trained more than two years prior to this study's data collection. The main reason for participants' fears of applying BLS was the lack of proper knowledge and skills (48.1%). The majority of the teachers, i.e., 71.0% (342), wanted more training in CPR, and 41.1% (198) thought CPR training should be mandatory at school. We found no statistical relationship between attitude toward training and the city or differences in knowledge and skills scores due to the difference in sociodemographic characteristics. Also, we found no statistical relationship between the question 'Did you observe CPR on a collapsed patient?' and the city, meaning that the observation of CPR on collapsed patients is independent of the respondent's school location. Significant differences in skills scores were found between those who had CPR observation and those who did not (p = 0.014), in knowledge scores between those who had previous CPR training and those who did not (p = 0.034), and in skills scores between those who had previous CPR training and those who did not (p <0.001). We found no significant differences in knowledge and skills scores according to the place of previous CPR training (p = 0.163 and p = 0.695, respectively). CONCLUSION: This study reveals that knowledge and skills in BLS among schoolteachers need to be improved. For this reason, we emphasize the inclusion of International Liaison Committee on Resuscitation (ILCOR) recommendations in the curriculum and that they are made periodic and mandatory for teachers. Especially as we found teachers to have a positive attitude and were willing to train and help.