General surgery resident practice plans: A workforce for the future?

Abstract Background Available evidence indicates that there will be a general surgical workforce shortage in the future. Methods A 21-question survey instrument was mailed to all general surgery residency programs in the United States. Results A total of 1,169 residents responded. Seventy-eight percent of respondents anticipate pursuing fellowship training and thereby narrowing their scope of practice. Both male and female residents indicate that lifestyle is important in their decision-making process for choosing a fellowship and in the choice of practice type. Our data revealed that female residents anticipate working fewer hours, taking less emergency call, taking more extended leaves of absence, and retiring earlier than their male counterparts. Conclusions Evaluation of the health care system's future needs continue to be difficult. However, available evidence points to a shortfall in the general surgery workforce. An evaluation of our capacity to train new general surgeons should be performed to meet future demands.