Caring for Future Patients: Education as an Ethical Obligation

Academic surgeons face an often overwhelming load of daily responsibilities. Frequently, the teaching and assessing of residents can receive little attention given the press of clinical and administrative duties. While an array of incentives have been developed to increase faculty compliance in education, we argue that there is one fundamental fact concerning the education of a trainee that is often overlooked: education is an ethical obligation. Offering accurate, critical, and helpful feedback to trainees fulfills an ethical obligation surgeons have towards future patients.