Unemployment in Switzerland in the wake of the Covid-19 pandemic: an intertemporal perspective.

The following contribution compares the unemployment situation arising from the lockdown induced by the Covid-19 pandemic with previous employment crises in Switzerland. In addition, it forecasts the future trajectory of unemployment based on ongoing changes in hazard rates. From a historical perspective, current unemployment as well as that expected by the federal authorities in the medium term do not seem that dramatic.

Opportunities to Create New General Surgery Residency Programs to Alleviate the Shortage of General Surgeons.

Purpose: To estimate the capacity for supporting new general surgery residency programs among U.S. hospitals that currently do not have such programs.

Embrace the challenge: advice for current and prospective department chairs.

In this issue, Kastor discusses the challenges and responsibilities of a contemporary chair of medicine as described in interviews of 44 chairs. As a chair of surgery at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill for 17 years, the author of this commentary uses his own experiences to reflect on how the insights presented in Kastor's commentary can apply to department chairs in other specialties. Elements from Kastor's commentary, as well as additional observations from the author's tenure, may be sources of advice to future chairs of any department.

The employed surgeon: a changing professional paradigm.

Objective: To identify trends and characteristics of surgeon employment in the United States. Surgeons are increasingly choosing hospital or large group employment as their practice environment. DESIGN American Medical Association Physician Masterfile data were analyzed for the years 2001 to 2009.

Projecting surgeon supply using a dynamic model.

Objective: To develop a projection model to forecast the head count and full-time equivalent supply of surgeons by age, sex, and specialty in the United States from 2009 to 2028.

Summary Background Data: The search for the optimal number and specialty mix of surgeons to care for the United States population has taken on increased urgency under health care reform. Expanded insurance coverage and an aging population will increase demand for surgical and other medical services.

Get on your boots: preparing fourth-year medical students for a career in surgery, using a focused curriculum to teach the competency of professionalism.

Introduction: Few educational programs exist for medical students that address professionalism in surgery, even though this core competency is required for graduate medical education and maintenance of board certification. Lapses in professional behavior occur commonly in surgical disciplines, with a negative effect on the operative team and patient care. Therefore, education regarding professionalism should begin early in the surgeon's formative process, to improve behavior.

Prevalence and risk of homelessness among US veterans.

Introduction: Understanding the prevalence of and risk for homelessness among veterans is prerequisite to preventing and ending homelessness among this population. Homeless veterans are at higher risk for chronic disease; understanding the dynamics of homelessness among veterans can contribute to our understanding of their health needs.

Methods: We obtained data on demographic characteristics and veteran status for 130,554 homeless people from 7 jurisdictions that provide homelessness services, and for the population living in poverty and the general population from the American Community Survey for those same jurisdictions.

The evolving surgeon shortage in the health reform era.

The evolving surgeon shortage is occurring at a time of societal change. For one of the first times in history, a scientific revolution is occurring while the organization of health care is also changing. With a demand for a more quality health care and a population that has both aged significantly and grown by ten million citizens each decade, the shortage of health care providers is problematic.

Increasing the number of trainees in general surgery residencies: is there capacity?

Purpose: General surgeons have decreased as a proportion of the total U.S. surgical workforce.

Characteristics of practice among rural and urban general surgeons in North Carolina.

Objective: To examine variation in the practice patterns of individual general surgeons and how they differ between rural and urban areas of North Carolina.

Summary Of Background Data: Traditional physician supply analyses often rely on "head counts" and do not take into account how physicians' practice patterns differ. Practice characteristics including the volume and the breadth of services that a physician provides may be especially important in understanding the supply and distribution of specialists, such as general surgeons.

The global health workforce shortage: role of surgeons and other providers.

The debate over the status of the physician workforce seems to be concluded. It now is clear that a shortage of physicians exists and is likely to worsen. In retrospect it seems obvious that a static annual production of physicians, coupled with a population growth of 25 million persons each decade, would result in a progressively lower physician to population ratio.