The present and future use of physician extenders in general surgery training programs: one response to the 80-hour work week.

Background: The aim of this study was to assess the use of physician extenders (PEs) in general surgery residency programs.

Study Design: We surveyed the program directors in surgery for the number of chief residents, PEs on general surgery services, PE duties, whether PEs were hired in response to Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education work-hour restrictions, plans to hire additional PEs, and program type. Data were analyzed using the Student's t-test; p values are two-tailed and considered significant if <0.