Surgical endoscopy fellowships. What difference do they make?

This study was conducted to evaluate the career impact of a formalized surgical endoscopy fellowship. Sixteen surgeons who have completed this training were surveyed via questionnaire. Twelve individuals were found to be in teaching settings, 10 had academic appointments, and 12 had published in the endoscopic and gastrointestinal literature. Gastrointestinal endoscopy constituted a mean of 28% of these surgeons' practices. Gastrointestinal surgery was the focus of a mean of 51% of their operative experience, and laparoscopic surgery constituted a mean of 40% of their surgical activity. Twelve of these individuals performed ERCP as part of their clinical practice, and 11 performed advanced laparoscopic surgical procedures. Relationships with nonsurgical endoscopic colleagues were considered positive for 5 surgeons, negative for 7, and neutral for 4. Professional relationships with nongastroenterologic physicians were uniformly positive or neutral. We conclude that formal surgical endoscopy fellowships facilitate subsequent academic and educational activity, foster surgical practices oriented toward gastrointestinal disease, and impact relationships with nonsurgical colleagues in a variable fashion.