Motivations and factors influencing the choice of a career as a thoracic surgeon in Japan: results of a nationwide questionnaire survey.

Purpose: Addressing the decline in the number of surgeons in Japan and an uneven specialty distribution is crucial for a sustainable working environment. We conducted this study to investigate the motivations behind the choice of medical specialty among thoracic surgeons across multiple institutions in Japan.

Methods: A nationwide online questionnaire survey was distributed by the Japanese Association for Surgical Education's thoracic surgery working group, targeting all thoracic surgeons.

Results: Of the 725 respondents, 95.6% decided on thoracic surgery after starting clinical training. The key influencing factors included respectful supervisors and seniors (79.3%), procedures (78.1%), organs (77.9%), diseases (75.4%), and atmosphere (70.3%). The final deciding factors were procedures (37.1%), atmosphere (17.0%), and organs (11.2%), with work-life balance reported by 7.0%. More thoracic surgeons in the 20 s-30 s age group than those in the over 40 s age group prioritized procedures (47.3% vs 31.5%; P < 0.0001), organs (14.3% vs 9.4%; P = 0.049), and work-life balance (11.2% vs 4.7%; P = 0.0014). Only 9.2% of respondents chose a career in thoracic surgery exclusively, whereas 90.8% considered other specialties (81.3% surgical, 18.7% non-surgical).

Conclusion: This survey revealed that the broad appeal of thoracic surgery often attracted individuals from diverse backgrounds, sometimes after they had considered other specialties. Increasing the number of thoracic surgeons requires promoting its appeal and fostering a positive work and educational environment.