Endoscopy training in Canadian general surgery residency programs.

Currently, general surgeons provide about 50% of endoscopy services across Canada and an even greater proportion outside large urban centres. It is essential that endoscopy remain a core component of general surgery practice and a core competency of general surgery residency training. The Canadian Association of General Surgeons Residents Committee supports the position that quality endoscopy training for all Canadian general surgery residents is in the best interest of the Canadian public. However, the means by which quality endoscopy training is achieved has not been defined at a national level. Endoscopy training in Canadian general surgery residency programs requires standardization across the country and improved measurement to ensure that competency and basic credentialing requirements are met.