Acute Care Surgery in the US – A Review and Personal Experience

Abstract

Acute care surgery is a new specialty created in response to the erosion of traditional general surgery and trauma surgery models. Multiple surgical societies have successfully developed the definition, designation, and training of an Acute Care Surgeon over many years. These are applicable worldwide. In the US, most larger hospital systems have successfully implemented acute care surgery, but rural and economically challenged areas remain underserved. Acute care surgeons in the US are generally employed either by the Hospital or a medical group. The profession provides a perfect work-life balance and, therefore, has become very attractive for the younger generations and surgeons who want to step down from exhausting full-time practices at the end of their careers. In the US, it is an entirely accepted specialty with dedicated and verified fellowship training.