Christian Iorio-Morin1, Syed Uzair Ahmed2, Mark Bigder3, Ayoub Dakson4, Cameron Elliott5, Daipayan Guha6, Michelle Kameda-Smith7, Pascal Lavergne8, Serge Makarenko9, Michael S Taccone10, Michael K Tso11, Bill Wang12, Alexander Winkler-Schwartz13, David Fortin1. 1. 1Division of Neurosurgery,Université de Sherbrooke,Sherbrooke,Quebec. 2. 2Division of Neurosurgery,University of Saskatchewan,Saskatoon,Saskatchewan. 3. 3Division of Neurosurgery,University of Manitoba,Winnipeg,Manitoba. 4. 4Division of Neurosurgery,University of Dalhousie,Halifax,Nova Scotia. 5. 5Division of Neurosurgery,University of Alberta,Edmonton,Alberta. 6. 6Division of Neurosurgery,University of Toronto,Toronto,Ontario. 7. 7Division of Neurosurgery,McMaster University,Hamilton,Ontario. 8. 8Division of Neurosurgery,Université Laval,Quebec City,Quebec. 9. 9Division of Neurosurgery,University of British Columbia,Vancouver,British Columbia. 10. 10Division of Neurosurgery,University of Ottawa,Ottawa,Ontario. 11. 11Division of Neurosurgery,Calgary University,Calgary,Alberta. 12. 12Division of Neurosurgery,University of Western Ontario,London,Ontario. 13. 13Division of Neurosurgery,McGill University,Montreal,Quebec.
Abstract
BACKGROUND: Neurosurgical residents face a unique combination of challenges, including long duty hours, technically challenging cases, and uncertain employment prospects. We sought to assess the demographics, interests, career goals, self-rated happiness, and overall well-being of Canadian neurosurgery residents. METHODS: A cross-sectional survey was developed and sent through the Canadian Neurosurgery Research Collaborative to every resident enrolled in a Canadian neurosurgery program as of April 1, 2016. RESULTS: We analyzed 76 completed surveys of 146 eligible residents (52% response rate). The median age was 29 years, with 76% of respondents being males. The most popular subspecialties of interest for fellowship were spine, oncology, and open vascular neurosurgery. The most frequent self-reported number of worked hours per week was the 80- to 89-hour range. The majority of respondents reported a high level of happiness as well as stress. Sense of accomplishment and fatigue were reported as average to high and overall quality of life was low for 19%, average for 49%, and high for 32%. Satisfaction with work-life balance was average for 44% of respondents and was the only tested domain in which significant dissatisfaction was identified (18%). Overall, respondents were highly satisfied with their choice of specialty, choice of program, surgical exposure, and work environment; however, intimidation was reported in 36% of respondents and depression by 17%. CONCLUSIONS: Despite a challenging residency and high workload, the majority of Canadian neurosurgery residents are happy and satisfied with their choice of specialty and program. However, work-life balance, employability, resident intimidation, and depression were identified as areas of active concern.
BACKGROUND: Neurosurgical residents face a unique combination of challenges, including long duty hours, technically challenging cases, and uncertain employment prospects. We sought to assess the demographics, interests, career goals, self-rated happiness, and overall well-being of Canadian neurosurgery residents. METHODS: A cross-sectional survey was developed and sent through the Canadian Neurosurgery Research Collaborative to every resident enrolled in a Canadian neurosurgery program as of April 1, 2016. RESULTS: We analyzed 76 completed surveys of 146 eligible residents (52% response rate). The median age was 29 years, with 76% of respondents being males. The most popular subspecialties of interest for fellowship were spine, oncology, and open vascular neurosurgery. The most frequent self-reported number of worked hours per week was the 80- to 89-hour range. The majority of respondents reported a high level of happiness as well as stress. Sense of accomplishment and fatigue were reported as average to high and overall quality of life was low for 19%, average for 49%, and high for 32%. Satisfaction with work-life balance was average for 44% of respondents and was the only tested domain in which significant dissatisfaction was identified (18%). Overall, respondents were highly satisfied with their choice of specialty, choice of program, surgical exposure, and work environment; however, intimidation was reported in 36% of respondents and depression by 17%. CONCLUSIONS: Despite a challenging residency and high workload, the majority of Canadian neurosurgery residents are happy and satisfied with their choice of specialty and program. However, work-life balance, employability, resident intimidation, and depression were identified as areas of active concern.
Entities:
Keywords:
Workload; fellowship; happiness; quality of life; satisfaction