Global Surgery Opportunities for General Surgery Residents: Are We Making Progress?

Area of Science:

• Global Surgery
• Surgical Education
• Healthcare Disparities

Background:

• Global surgery initiatives have grown substantially over the past decade.
• General surgery residents increasingly seek global surgery experiences and research opportunities.
• Limited resources exist for residency applicants to assess global surgery programs.

Purpose of the Study:

• To survey general surgery residency program directors regarding global surgery training.
• To identify the availability of global surgery experiences and perceived importance.
• To understand barriers to implementing global surgery training.

Main Methods:

• A 17-question survey was distributed to general surgery residency program directors via email.
• The survey assessed the availability of formal global surgery experiences and program development.
• Response rate was 17%, with 45 program directors participating.

Main Results:

• 62% of responding programs offered formal global surgery experiences (rotations, research, advocacy).
• 69% of programs were developing a global health center.
• 93% of respondents deemed global surgery education important, citing funding and time as key barriers.

Conclusions:

• Despite the recognized importance of global surgery, formal training opportunities remain limited.
• Barriers such as funding, time, and institutional interest hinder program development.
• Increased efforts are necessary to bolster global surgery training, research, and advocacy for surgical trainees.