Advertisement
Research Article| Volume 215, ISSUE 1, P8-13, January 2018

A model for a career in a specialty of general surgery: One surgeon's opinion

      Abstract

      Background

      The integration of general and endocrine surgery was studied as a potential career model for fellowship trained general surgeons.

      Methods

      Case logs collected from 1991–2016 and academic milestones were examined for a single general surgeon with a focused interest in endocrine surgery. Operations were categorized using CPT codes and the 2017 ACGME “Major Case Categories” and there frequencies were determined.

      Results

      10,324 operations were performed on 8209 patients. 412.9 ± 84.9 operations were performed yearly including 279.3 ± 42.7 general and 133.7 ± 65.5 endocrine operations. A high-volume endocrine surgery practice and a rank of tenured professor were achieved by years 11 and 13, respectively. At year 25, the frequency of endocrine operations exceeded general surgery operations.

      Conclusion

      Maintaining a foundation in broad-based general surgery with a specialty focus is a sustainable career model. Residents and fellows can use the model to help plan their careers with realistic expectations.
      To read this article in full you will need to make a payment

      Purchase one-time access:

      Academic & Personal: 24 hour online accessCorporate R&D Professionals: 24 hour online access
      One-time access price info
      • For academic or personal research use, select 'Academic and Personal'
      • For corporate R&D use, select 'Corporate R&D Professionals'

      Subscribe:

      Subscribe to The American Journal of Surgery
      Already a print subscriber? Claim online access
      Already an online subscriber? Sign in
      Institutional Access: Sign in to ScienceDirect

      References

        • Stain S.C.
        • Biester T.W.
        • Hanks J.B.
        • et al.
        Early tracking would improve the operative experience of general surgery residents.
        Ann Surg. 2010; 252: 445-451https://doi.org/10.1097/SLA.0b013e3181f0d105
        • Association of American Medical Colleges
        State Physician Workforce Data Book 2011.
        November 2011: 1-61
      1. Cogbill TH, Klingensmith ME, Jones AT, et al. Resident preparation for careers in general surgery: a survey of program directors.

        • Friedell M.L.
        • Vandermeer T.J.
        • Cheatham M.L.
        • et al.
        Perceptions of graduating general surgery chief residents: are they confident in their training?.
        J Am Coll Surg. 2014; 218: 695-703https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jamcollsurg.2013.12.022
        • Goldfarb M.
        • Gondek S.
        • Hodin R.
        • Parangi S.
        Resident/fellow assistance in the operating room for endocrine surgery in the era of fellowships.
        Surgery. 2010; 148: 1065-1071https://doi.org/10.1016/j.surg.2010.09.010
        • Cheadle W.G.
        • Franklin G.A.
        • Richardson J.D.
        • Polk H.C.J.
        Broad-based general surgery training is a model of continued utility for the future.
        Ann Surg. 2004; 239: 626-627https://doi.org/10.1097/01.sla.0000124384.08410.94
        • Decker M.R.
        • Bronson N.W.
        • Greenberg C.C.
        • et al.
        Original scientific article: the general surgery job market: analysis of current demand for general surgeons and their specialized skills.
        J Am Coll Surg. 2013; 217: 1133-1139
        • Shin J.J.
        • Milas M.
        • Mitchell J.
        • et al.
        The endocrine surgery job market: a survey of fellows, department chairs, and surgery recruiters.
        J Surg Educ. 2013; 70: 377-383https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jsurg.2012.12.007
        • Sosa J.A.
        • Bowman H.M.
        • Tielsch J.M.
        • et al.
        The importance of surgeon experience for clinical and economic outcomes from thyroidectomy.
        Ann Surg. 1998; 228: 320-330https://doi.org/10.1097/00000658-199809000-00005
        • Sosa J.A.
        • Wang T.S.
        • Yeo H.L.
        • et al.
        The maturation of a specialty: workforce projections for endocrine surgery.
        Surgery. 2007; 142: 876-883https://doi.org/10.1016/j.surg.2007.09.005
        • Tsinberg M.
        • Duh Q.Y.
        • Cisco R.M.
        • et al.
        Practice patterns and job satisfaction in fellowship-trained endocrine surgeons.
        Surgery (United States). 2012; 152: 953-956https://doi.org/10.1016/j.surg.2012.08.032
        • Harness J.K.
        • Van Heerden JA.
        • Lennquist S.
        • et al.
        Future of thyroid surgery and training surgeons to meet the expectations of 2000 and beyond.
        World J Surg. 2000; 24: 976-982https://doi.org/10.1007/s002680010168
        • Doherty G.
        General surgery as a foundation: how to build successful careers in (endocrine) surgery: presidential address.
        Surgery (United States). 2016; : 1-6https://doi.org/10.1016/j.surg.2015.06.065
      2. Tracked Codes Report. first ed. ACGME, 2017 (Web. 16 Apr 2017)
      3. Defined Category Minimum Numbers: General Surgery Effective for Program Graduates Beginning Academic Year 2017–2018. first ed. ACGME, 2017 (Web. 16 Apr. 2017)
        • Kulaylat A.N.
        • Kenning E.M.
        • Chesnut C.H.
        • et al.
        The profile of successful applicants for endocrine surgery fellowships: results of a national survey.
        Am J Surg. 2014; 208: 685-689https://doi.org/10.1016/j.amjsurg.2014.03.013
        • Solorzano C.C.
        • Sosa J.A.
        • Lechner S.C.
        • et al.
        Endocrine surgery: where are we today? A national survey of young endocrine surgeons.
        Surgery. 2010; 147: 536-541https://doi.org/10.1016/j.surg.2009.10.041
        • Kuo J.H.
        • Pasieka J.L.
        • Parrack K.M.
        • et al.
        Endocrine surgery in present-day academia.
        Surgery (United States). 2014; 156: 1461-1469https://doi.org/10.1016/j.surg.2014.08.025
        • Adkisson C.D.
        • Howell G.M.
        • McCoy K.L.
        • et al.
        Surgeon volume and adequacy of thyroidectomy for differentiated thyroid cancer.
        Surgery (United States). 2014; 156: 1453-1459https://doi.org/10.1016/j.surg.2014.08.024
        • Chowdhury M.M.
        • Dagash H.
        • Pierro A.
        A systematic review of the impact of volume of surgery and specialization on patient outcome.
        Br J Surg. 2007; : 145-161https://doi.org/10.1002/bjs.5714
        • Stavrakis A.I.
        • Ituarte P.H.G.
        • Ko C.Y.
        • Yeh M.W.
        Surgeon volume as a predictor of outcomes in inpatient and outpatient endocrine surgery.
        Surgery. 2007; 142: 887-899https://doi.org/10.1016/j.surg.2007.09.003
        • Chen H.
        • Wang T.S.
        • Yen T.W.F.
        • et al.
        Operative failures after parathyroidectomy for hyperparathyroidism: the influence of surgical volume.
        Ann Surg. 2010; 252: 691-695https://doi.org/10.1097/SLA.0b013e3181f698df
        • Park H.S.
        • Roman S.A.
        • Sosa J.A.
        Outcomes from 3144 adrenalectomies in the United States: which matters more, surgeon volume or specialty?.
        Arch Surg. 2009; 144: 1060-1067https://doi.org/10.1016/S0090-3671(10)79663-4
        • Aquina C.T.
        • Probst C.P.
        • Kelly K.N.
        • et al.
        The pitfalls of inguinal herniorrhaphy: surgeon volume matters.
        Surgery (United States). 2015; 158: 736-746https://doi.org/10.1016/j.surg.2015.03.058
        • Csikesz N.G.
        • Singla A.
        • Murphy M.M.
        • et al.
        Surgeon volume metrics in laparoscopic cholecystectomy.
        Dig Dis Sci. 2010; 55: 2398-2405https://doi.org/10.1007/s10620-009-1035-6
        • Murphy M.M.
        • Ng S.-C.
        • Simons J.P.
        • et al.
        Predictors of major complications after laparoscopic cholecystectomy: surgeon, hospital, or patient?.
        J Am Coll Surg. 2010; 211: 73-80https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jamcollsurg.2010.02.050
        • Shi H.-Y.
        • Lee K.-T.
        • Chiu C.-C.
        • Lee H.-H.
        The volume-outcome relationship in laparoscopic cholecystectomy: a population-based study using propensity score matching.
        Surg Endosc. 2013; 27: 3139-3145https://doi.org/10.1007/s00464-013-2867-x