Acute care surgery: redefining the general surgeon.

These are uncertain times for general surgery residents. Problems include professional burnout-diminished quality of life, declining reimbursement for services, and erosion of the breath of surgical procedures performed. As a consequence there is a shortage of general surgeons, especially in rural areas. Trauma surgeons are becoming even more scarce. The American Association for the Surgery of Trauma (AAST) is attempting to address these problems by creation of Acute Care Surgeons. This paper discusses this new type of surgical practice.