The state of general surgery training: a different perspective.

Area of Science:

• Medical Education
• Surgical Training
• Resident Well-being

Background:

• Influences on general surgery training include Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education (ACGME) work restrictions, medical litigation, and fellowship proliferation.
• Limited national-level data exists on general surgical residents' perceptions of their training.

Purpose of the Study:

• To assess general surgical residents' national-level perceptions of their training.
• To evaluate resident satisfaction with quality of life, operative experience, and work hours.
• To understand the impact of fellows, physician extenders, faculty, and administration on training.

Main Methods:

• A 38-question survey was distributed to categorical general surgery residents at ACGME-approved programs.
• Responses were collected on job satisfaction, quality of life, and influences on training.
• Data analyzed from 997 voluntary responses across 40 states.

Main Results:

• 86% of residents believe they will be prepared for practice; 85% find training duration adequate.
• Only 36% feel appropriately financially compensated; 70% support ACGME work-hour restrictions, but less feel they improve training (46.6%) or patient care (46.8%).
• 88% are proud to be surgical residents, 87% view surgery as rewarding, and 77% would choose it again.

Conclusions:

• Surgical residents generally hold positive views on training quality and life satisfaction, despite feeling undercompensated.
• A majority of residents intend to pursue fellowship training.
• Resident perceptions were consistent across gender, ethnicity, and program type.