Abstract
Almost all general surgery residents consider post-residency training, and up to 80% ultimately pursue fellowship. Important considerations for choosing a surgical specialty include having a thorough understanding of the types of cases you most enjoy doing and patients you most enjoy treating, seeking guidance from trusted mentors, and identifying early “test run” experiences. Ultimately, the decision must be based on personal interests and life considerations which inform the professional choices.
Access this chapter
Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout
Purchases are for personal use only
References
Klingensmith ME, Cogbill TH, Luchette F, et al. Factors influencing the decision of surgery residency graduates to pursue general surgery practice versus fellowship. Ann Surg. 2015;262(3):449–55; discussion 445–454.
Reed CE, Vaporciyan AA, Erikson C, et al. Factors dominating choice of surgical specialty. J Am Coll Surg. 2010;210(3):319–24.
Fischer JE. The impending disappearance of the general surgeon. JAMA. 2007;298(18):2191–3.
Borman KR, Vick LR, Biester TW, Mitchell ME. Changing demographics of residents choosing fellowships: longterm data from the American Board of Surgery. J Am Coll Surg. 2008;206(5):782–8; discussion 788–789.
Lewis FR, Klingensmith ME. Issues in general surgery residency training--2012. Ann Surg. 2012;256(4):553–9.
Grover BT, Kothari SN. Fellowship training: need and contributions. Surg Clin North Am. 2016;96(1):47–57.
Yeo H, Viola K, Berg D, et al. Attitudes, training experiences, and professional expectations of US general surgery residents: a national survey. JAMA. 2009;302(12):1301–8.
McCord JH, McDonald R, Sippel RS, Leverson G, Mahvi DM, Weber SM. Surgical career choices: the vital impact of mentoring. J Surg Res. 2009;155(1):136–41.
Shanafelt TD, Balch CM, Bechamps GJ, et al. Burnout and career satisfaction among American surgeons. Ann Surg. 2009;250(3):463–71.
Pulcrano M, Evans SR, Sosin M. Quality of life and burnout rates across surgical specialties: a systematic review. JAMA Surg. 2016;151(10):970–8.
Yheulon CG, Cole WC, Ernat JJ, Davis SS. Normalized competitive index: analyzing trends in surgical fellowship training over the past decade (2009-2018). J Surg Educ. 2020;77(1):74–81.
Beres A, Baird R, Puligandla PS. Success in the pediatric surgery match: a survey of the 2010 applicant pool. J Pediatr Surg. 2011;46(5):957–61.
Adams S, Ginther DN, Neuls E, Hayes P. Attitudes and factors contributing to attrition in Canadian surgical specialty residency programs. Can J Surg. 2017;60(4):247–52.
Chopra V, Edelson DP, Saint S. A PIECE OF MY MIND. Mentorship malpractice. JAMA. 2016;315(14):1453–4.
Vick LR, Borman KR, May W. See one, do one, be competent in one? Resident rotations broaden the perceived scope of general surgery. J Surg Educ. 2007;64(6):410–5.
Page SE. Diversity bonus: how great teams pay off in the knowledge economy. Our compel interest. Princeton: Princeton University Press; 2017. p. 1–302.
Thompson-Burdine JA, Telem DA, Waljee JF, et al. Defining barriers and facilitators to advancement for women in academic surgery. JAMA Netw Open. 2019;2(8):e1910228.
Rangel EL, Lyu H, Haider AH, Castillo-Angeles M, Doherty GM, Smink DS. Factors associated with residency and career dissatisfaction in childbearing surgical residents. JAMA Surg. 2018;153(11):1004–11.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Editor information
Editors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
Copyright information
© 2021 Springer Nature Switzerland AG
About this chapter
Cite this chapter
Dossett, L.A., Sosa, J.A. (2021). Choosing a Surgical Specialty. In: Telem, D.A., Martin, C.A. (eds) Diversity, Equity and Inclusion. Success in Academic Surgery. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-55655-6_5
Download citation
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-55655-6_5
Published:
Publisher Name: Springer, Cham
Print ISBN: 978-3-030-55654-9
Online ISBN: 978-3-030-55655-6
eBook Packages: MedicineMedicine (R0)