Comparison of General Surgery Research Resident Absite Scores to Their Clinical Peers Reveals Need for a General Surgery Curriculum during Dedicated Research Time

Abstract

Background: Approximately 40% of surgical residents pursue one to three years of dedicated research during residency. Research residents continue to participate in didactic conferences, are occasionally responsible for patient care, and continue to take the American Board of Surgery In-training Exam (ABSITE) each year. Most programs have a dedicated research curriculum for these residents; however, many do not have a formal general surgery curriculum for research residents. We sought to compare research and clinical resident performance on the ABSITE to determine if there might be a need for a formal general surgery curriculum for research residents, to keep pace with their clinical peers.