Experience of surgical subspecialty residents on general surgery rotations.

Background: Surgical subspecialty residents complete 5-6 years of training which includes general surgery rotations. A lack of data exists evaluating these rotations. This study aims to identify discrepancies in subspecialty training and improve the quality of surgical education.

Methods: Case logs for surgical subspecialty residents and general surgery residents at our institution were analyzed and queried for cases performed on general surgery rotations. A survey was distributed to subspecialty residents regarding their perceptions of these rotations.

Results: 50 residents were included in the study and the majority were male (n = 27, 54%). Subspecialty residents perform fewer cases per month compared to general surgery residents (13 vs 21, p < 0.001). 75% of subspecialty residents were satisfied with their experience on general surgery rotations.

Conclusions: Subspecialty residents perform fewer operations on general surgery rotations. Despite this, most are satisfied with off-service rotations and believe they are an important part of their education.