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http://archsurg.ama-assn.org/cgi/content/full/146/8/907?ct
You have to login to see the article but I'll give a quick overview.
The authors surveyed categorical surgery residents and asked them about how confident they felt as surgeons and in the operating room.
The results:
I'm planning a career in surgery, and I thought this was an interesting article. For the record, I'm a single male in the Northeast.
The authors stipulate that the reasons residents at academic programs feel less confident is because they don't get much independent surgical cases and those who felt they could ask for help from an attending were more likely to be confident about their surgical skills.
But anyway, do you guys think this study is accurate? Or it should be taken with a grain of salt because generalizations are just that, generalizations, and if you're talented and motivated enough, you will succeed in any type of program wherever you go?
You have to login to see the article but I'll give a quick overview.
The authors surveyed categorical surgery residents and asked them about how confident they felt as surgeons and in the operating room.
The results:
Results Response rate was 77.4%. Residents who were female, single, or without children and at a lower postgraduate year had less confidence in their operating skill, as did residents at larger, university-based programs, in the northeastern United States. Residents worried about competence were more likely to believe specialty training was needed (71.2% vs 60.2%; P < .001). After adjustment, residents dissatisfied with training were less likely to believe their skills were level appropriate (odds ratio, 0.13; P < .001) as were residents not comfortable asking for help (odds ratio, 0.48; P < .001). After adjustment, women were twice more likely than men to worry about competence after training; single residents were 1.36 times more likely than married residents to believe their skills were not level appropriate. Program location, type, and size remained associated with confidence, as did satisfaction and comfort asking for help. Residents worried about skills were more likely to plan for fellowship.
I'm planning a career in surgery, and I thought this was an interesting article. For the record, I'm a single male in the Northeast.
The authors stipulate that the reasons residents at academic programs feel less confident is because they don't get much independent surgical cases and those who felt they could ask for help from an attending were more likely to be confident about their surgical skills.
But anyway, do you guys think this study is accurate? Or it should be taken with a grain of salt because generalizations are just that, generalizations, and if you're talented and motivated enough, you will succeed in any type of program wherever you go?