Working conditions and trainee shortage in operative disciplines--is our profession ready for the next decade?

Increasing concern has been expressed worldwide on the problem of finding young doctors to enter a training programme in an operative speciality.

A survey comprising 22 questions on working conditions and job satisfaction was placed on the homepage of the Austrian Society of Surgery; 667 questionnaires were completed.

The question whether surgery is threatened by a trainee shortage was answered with "yes" by 68%. Only 37% were satisfied with their working conditions. The majority (61%) specified documentation as making up between 20% and 40% of their workload, 22.5% estimated an even higher percentage. Only 17.7% were satisfied with payment. A clear majority works 60 to 80 h per week or more. Only 32.5% stated that they can leave the hospital in the morning after weekend duty; for night duty during the week, this percentage decreased to just 4.2%. As for surgical training, 33.3% were satisfied. Regular assessments between the trainees and their department heads were confirmed by only 34%. A clear majority (96%) is in favour of rotations in other hospitals during residency for the sake of broader experience.

Working hour restrictions are essential, but not enough: Substantial improvements in the professional profile and in training are required.