Exploring the perspectives and challenges of general surgery residents in Türkiye: Insights from a survey on surgical training.

Objective: This study aimed to assess the perspectives of general surgery residents in Türkiye regarding the conditions and methods of their training, as well as the methods and circumstances under which their training is conducted.

Material and methods: The study involved 426 resident physicians undergoing training in general surgery at various institutions, including university hospitals, education and research hospitals, and foundation university hospitals, from January to March 2024. A web-based survey was distributed to the residents via email, containing 18 multiple-choice questions. The results were analyzed using the SPSS statistical software.

Results: The study revealed that 21.36% of the resident physicians had been in training for 0 to 1 year, while 20.19% had been in training for 2 to 3 years. A significant portion, 62.44%, was receiving their training in education and research hospitals, 36.38% in university hospitals, and only 1.17% in foundation university hospitals. In terms of training adequacy, 48.36% of the residents felt they did not receive enough practical training, and 81.22% believed they lacked sufficient theoretical training. Furthermore, 66.10% reported insufficient support for conducting academic research, and only 47.65% were aware of the core training program. Regarding work hours, 35.45% of residents were on duty every other day, 7.28% worked more than eight shifts per month, and 68.08% reported working 60 hours or more per week. Additionally, 91.31% of the residents deemed their salaries inadequate, and 71.36% experienced delays in receiving their on-call pay. Notably, only 55.63% expressed satisfaction with their experience as general surgery residents.

Conclusion: The findings of this research indicate that there is a lack of standardization in general surgery specialization training in Türkiye. The report reveals that both theoretical and practical training are insufficiently provided and not delivered in a systematic manner. Additionally, general surgery residents expressed low levels of satisfaction with the training they receive. It is evident that improvements are necessary in several areas concerning the training and working conditions of resident physicians.