How to rescue general surgery

Abstract

The alarms concerning general surgery and its imminent demise are well known. Eighty percent of the finishing general surgeons take fellowships when they enter general surgical programs. This in itself should be cause for concern because it indicates that most would-be general surgeons entering as interns believe that they need to pursue further training after general surgical programs. Those programs that do produce general surgeons seem to be smaller, more rural programs that do not have specialists but have a number of excellent general surgeons who do most of the surgery and serve as role models for the residents. The shortage in general surgeons is perhaps worse in rural areas and has consequences far beyond just a surgeon retiring. The lack of surgeons to take call and cover trauma is resulting in patients dying because of the lack of surgical coverage. Indeed, the shortage of general surgeons has been highlighted by front-page articles in USA Today, a January 1, 2009, front-page article in the Washington Post and 2 weeks later in the Wall Street Journal. In addition, one of the major networks is pursuing a story concerning the general surgeon shortage.