Pay-to-Play: The Rising Cost of Subspecialty Conference Attendance for Surgical Residents

Area of Science:

• Academic Medicine
• Surgical Education
• Medical Conferences

Background:

• Surgical society conferences are crucial for resident development, offering networking and research opportunities.
• Rising attendance costs present a significant financial barrier for surgical residents.
• Understanding cost fluctuations is vital for ensuring equitable access to professional development.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate changes in conference costs and travel expenses for general surgery residents.
• To analyze trends in registration fees, airfare, hotel rates, and miscellaneous expenses over a decade.
• To identify financial challenges impacting resident participation in academic conferences.

Main Methods:

• Collected registration data from major surgical society conferences in 2009 and 2019.
• Estimated airfare using U.S. Department of Transportation data and hotel costs via negotiated rates.
• Calculated miscellaneous expenses using a per diem rate and performed statistical comparisons using paired T-tests.

Main Results:

• Conference registration fees significantly increased from $103 in 2009 to $213 in 2019 (p=0.04).
• No statistically significant changes were observed in hotel costs or total attendance expenses.
• Airfare costs showed a slight, non-significant decrease (p=0.18).

Conclusions:

• While total attendance costs remained stable, the substantial rise in registration fees poses a financial challenge.
• The considerable financial burden on residents and programs necessitates action.
• Surgical societies should reassess registration policies and explore scholarship opportunities to improve conference accessibility for residents.