Experience of surgical subspecialty residents on general surgery rotations

Abstract

BackgroundSurgical subspecialty residents complete 5–6 years of training which includes general surgery rotations. A lack of data exists evaluating these rotations. This study aims to identify discrepancies in subspecialty training and improve the quality of surgical education. MethodsCase logs for surgical subspecialty residents and general surgery residents at our institution were analyzed and queried for cases performed on general surgery rotations. A survey was distributed to subspecialty residents regarding their perceptions of these rotations. Results50 residents were included in the study and the majority were male (n = 27, 54%). Subspecialty residents perform fewer cases per month compared to general surgery residents (13 vs 21, p < 0.001). 75% of subspecialty residents were satisfied with their experience on general surgery rotations. ConclusionsSubspecialty residents perform fewer operations on general surgery rotations. Despite this, most are satisfied with off-service rotations and believe they are an important part of their education.