Perceptions of Graduating General Surgery Chief Residents: Are They Confident in Their Training?

Perception of training in hepatopancreatobiliary surgery among general surgery residents in the Americas

“…Friedell and colleagues also reported that, of the graduating GS chief residents pursuing fellowship training, 67% of the graduating GS chief residents pursue fellowship training because of a genuine interest in that specialty. 10 The current state of training in HPB surgery in North America is defined through three pathways. 11 These offer variable experiences in pancreas, liver and biliary cases, and each pathway offers unique training foci.…”

Confidence Crisis Among General Surgery Residents

“…Freidell, et al 20 explicitly discuss nostalgia as an underlying sentiment: "There seems to be a common thread with the surveys of the general surgery program directors, the fellowship program directors, and the ACS senior surgeons that today's trainees are not as qualified as their predecessors were when they graduated. This might reflect the belief that all senior surgeons will have for time immemorial."…”

Factors and Influences That Determine the Choices of Surgery Residency Applicants

“…[26][27][28][29] Several hypotheses exist about a potential disconnect between qualifications needed for surgical jobs and the surgical trainee perceptions of these qualifications. Friedell (7) Other 11 (6) Better teaching 7 (4) Negative comments 3 (2) et al 1 found that lack of confidence was an important issue that prompted trainees to seek fellowship training. Interestingly, they found that independent program trainees felt more confident about entering into surgical practice directly out of residency, when compared with university program graduates.…”

“…Independent programs are characterized by high operative volumes, graduates with increased confidence to practice independently, improved program support, and successful fellowship and practice opportunities following 5 years of training. [1][2][3] There are several inherent advantages to learning about applicants to surgery residency programs. A better understanding of applicant characteristics and preferences may lead to less resident attrition and improved resident satisfaction with his or her training environment.…”