Effect of New Fellowship Programs on Resident Case Volume in Pediatric Surgery
Topic overview
Study examining impact of new pediatric surgery fellowship programs on general surgery resident case volumes using ACGME data from 2002-2017. Found significant decline in pediatric surgery cases performed by general surgery residents (56.75 to 47.15 cases) in the five years following fellowship program establishment.
Key takeaways
- New pediatric surgery fellowship programs significantly reduce pediatric case volume for general surgery residents by ~17% in first 5 years.
- Before fellowship establishment, general surgery residents averaged 55-69 pediatric cases; this declined to 47 cases after fellows arrived.
- Institutions should carefully assess impact on general surgery training before launching new pediatric surgery fellowship programs.
- Study analyzed 15 programs using ACGME caselog data from 2002-2017, providing robust evidence of training volume displacement.
- The competing educational needs of fellows vs residents creates measurable trade-offs in pediatric surgical experience distribution.
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