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Defining the Canadian rural general surgeon
Lyndsay Glass1, Malcolm Davidson1, Emily Friedrich1
1From the Division of General Surgery, Schulich School of Medicine & Dentistry, Western University, London, Ont. (Glass); Faculty of Medicine, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, B.C. (Afford); Temerty Faculty of Medicine, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ont. (Davidson); Undergraduate Medical Education, Faculty of Medicine, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, B.C. (Friedrich); Division of General Surgery, University of Alberta, Edmonton Alta. (MacVicar); Faculty of Medicine, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, B.C. (Gentles); the Department of Surgery, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Alta. (Miles); Department of Surgery, Northern Ontario School of Medicine University, Sudbury, Ont. (Kirkpatrick, Champion); Department of Surgery, Faculty of Medicine, Memorial University of Newfoundland, St. John's, N.L. (Smithson); the Department of Surgery, Dalhousie University, Halifax, N.S. (Walsh); Canadian General Surgery Foundation, Canadian Association of General Surgeons, Kanata, Ont. (Walsh); Department of Surgery, Faculty of Medicine, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, B.C. (Hiscock); Department of Surgery, Shuswap Lake General Hospital, Salmon Arm, BC (Hiscock); Department of Surgery, McGill University, Montréal, Que. (Wong); Department of Surgery, West Parry Sound Health Centre, Parry Sound, Ont. (Champion).
Canadian rural general surgeons are specialists serving small communities with limited access to metropolitan influence. Their unique skills are vital for rural healthcare sustainability and require recognition in training and health system planning.
Area of Science:
- Surgical Workforce Planning
- Rural Health
- General Surgery
Background:
- 18%-30% of Canadians reside in rural areas, with only 8% of general surgeons serving these populations.
- Rural general surgery is a distinct practice, not well-understood, impacting health outcomes in diverse Canadian communities.
- Geographic and demographic factors significantly influence the surgical needs of rural populations.
Purpose of the Study:
- To define the role and characteristics of the Canadian rural general surgeon.
- To inform human resource planning for rural surgical services.
- To understand the unique scope and challenges of rural general surgery.
Main Methods:
- A scoping review of literature from Ovid, MEDLINE, and Embase databases.
- Search terms included "rural," "general surgery," and "workforce."
- Literature was limited to North American and Australian publications.
Main Results:
- No explicit definition of a rural general surgeon was found in Canadian literature.
- Rurality was defined by population size and proximity to urban centers.
- The literature emphasized the unique challenges and broad scope of rural general surgical practice.
Conclusions:
- Canadian rural general surgeons are specialists in small, non-metropolitan communities.
- They utilize core general surgery skills and additional specialized expertise to meet community needs.
- Surgical training and health system planning must acknowledge and support the specialized skill set and crucial role of rural general surgeons.
