Motivators and barriers to general surgery as a career among junior doctors and medical students in New Zealand.

Aim: Increasing diversity among surgeons is a priority of the Royal Australasian College of Surgeons (RACS).1 This study aimed to identify motivators and barriers to general surgery among junior doctors (JD) and medical students (MS) to help guide the recruitment of under-represented minorities into surgical training.

Methods: An online survey was sent to 2,170 participants-1,327 JD in New Zealand and 843 MS at The University of Auckland (UA). Participants were asked about motivators or barriers to a career in general surgery.

Results: Twenty-one percent (452/2170) completed the survey. Most were female (65.1%), NZ European (53.6%) and MS (62.4%). Factors guiding career decision include interest in clinical and practical aspects (weighted average 4.43 and 4.34, respectively) and work-life balance (weighted average 4.11). Barriers to training were long hours and feeling overwhelmed (weighted average 4.05 and 3.64, respectively). There were perceived biases with 79.7% reporting a gender bias and 99.7% reporting male over-representation. Similarly, 68.4% reported an ethnicity bias; 97% reporting NZ European over-representation. 92.2% considered mentorship important but only 15.3% have a mentor.

Conclusion: This study identified motivators and barriers to general surgery and perceived gender and ethnicity biases. With demand for a diverse surgical workforce, there should be focus on recruitment of underrepresented minorities and mentorship.