Training of general surgical residents: what model is appropriate?

The training of general surgical residents has been a relatively stable process for the past several decades. However, a variety of forces have caused several recent changes in the education of general surgeons and more potentially radical alterations have been recommended by some surgical leaders. Much of the initiative for changing training is due to the inexorable forces of specialization and the increasingly vigorous competition for qualified trainees in various surgical disciplines. Decisions made within the next few years will likely decide the future of general surgery as a specialty.