Opinions of practicing general surgeons on surgical education.

Background: Collective opinions of practicing general surgeons on the current state of general surgical resident education are unknown.

Methods: A 26-item survey was mailed to practicing general surgeons in Minnesota and Texas. Average scores on 17 Likert-formatted questions and opinions on multiple-choice questions were compared by geographic area and academic affiliation.

Results: Overall response was 954 of 1,745 (55%). All surgeons felt changes were needed in surgical education. There was agreement by geographic area and academic affiliation that the current system of resident education allows chief residents to graduate with significant gaps in their education, and that the responsibility for correcting these gaps lies with the residency program.

Conclusions: Opinions of general surgeons in two geographic areas and of differing academic affiliation regarding surgical education showed marked similarity. These data suggest change in the process of surgical education is the responsibility of the residency program and should be a priority for the profession.