Scholarly mentorship  for residents not like the old days in the Saudi Arabia.  It is not only extremely difficult to get one but  there are very few scholarships unless you have a good financial  support from your family, then you can go outside the Kingdome for a scholarship.

During my residency, I honestly was rarely encouraged to write, engage in research, or to pursue any scholarly activities outside of our required coursework, and I just finished my residency!. To be fair, however, several of the senior physicians I work with  got their memberships ,higher degrees and consultants degrees through scholarships sponsored by the government. A few had published a paper or two. But is that really as far as it should go? Frankly, I expected much more of an academic environment than I am witnessing although , I am surrounded by very accomplished physicians and attendings. That’s why getting a scholarship is the best way to go especially  if you don’t have enriching academic environment in the fellowship or residency program in your hospital. Most of the times we end up very exhausted from doing the work but no much academic field teaching.

Medical residency training is required to practice as a physician. While it is possible to obtain a medical license to practice medicine in Saudi Arabia  without completing a Saudi Arabian medical residency, it is much more difficult, and in some cases impossible, to become board certified by the Saudi commission of health  Specialties without a very good residency training.

Because residents are physicians in training, a good residency program there must be a good  supervision of an attending physician, who should be available for them all the time and be the ultimately support to them
so they can obtains hands-on experience treating patients, while under close supervision of experienced physicians

Residents need a good academic environment that usually a effective residency programs can provide. Effective residency programs as I see it are those programs which can  produce future members of the medical staff serving effectively in the era of increasing competition, and improving  the quality of patient care. Those kind of residents will be a tremendous asset to the community we serve.

A mentorships of any kind either if it is  scholarship, fellowship or residency programs  are critically important to your development as an educated consumer of the medical literature. It is critically important for optimal patient care. It is important in your interactions with other medical specialties.

The major flaw in most of our residency programs is they do not give you the credibility you need as a young doctor. Remember, credibility is defined not just by what you can do, but also by what you know and how you speak. You need to learn the literature, at least develop an area of interest or expertise and master its literature. Become conversant with it, quote it, and refer to it when you are discussing such things with your colleagues. It takes a great deal of discipline and mental exercise to accomplish this, but it is all worth it in the end.  Challenge others (and most importantly, students) to do the same. You might just be surprised as to what it can do for your career!

 At the end I WOULD LIKE to hear from you regarding your residency, fellowship or scholarship, if you want to suggest a topic to discuss in the matter please do .

This was part I in part II WILL talk about the difficulties faced  in scholarships.