General practitioner surgery: anyone interested?

INTRODUCTION We sought to assess awareness of, exposure to and interest in general practitioner (GP) surgery and enhanced surgical skills (ESS) among family practice residents in British Columbia, Alberta and Saskatchewan. METHODS We distributed a survey to all family practice residents at 4 universities in BC, Alberta and Saskatchewan. The survey assessed demographic information, awareness of and exposure to GP surgery or ESS during training, and interest in pursuing formal ESS training. RESULTS We received 174 responses (27.2% response rate). Numerous respondents were unaware of GP surgery (9.9% ± 4.5%) and ESS (17.9% ± 5.7%). Awareness was higher among respondents from rural hometowns (GP surgery and ESS awareness 100% and 94.1%, respectively), and with prior exposure to GP surgery (GP surgery and ESS awareness 96.9% and 95.4%, respectively). A minority (38.2%) had been exposed to GP surgery, with exposure higher in respondents from rural training sites and in their second postgraduate year (72.5% and 47.4%, respectively). A quarter (25.1%) of respondents were considering ESS training. Factors encouraging training included increased procedures, challenging medicine and impact on patient outcomes. The importance of ESS training opportunities and service was rated highly. CONCLUSION Many respondents were unaware of ESS as a career option. Exposure to GP surgery during training was associated with increased awareness. Furthermore, exposure fostered interest in this important field. These results may be helpful in the development of formal ESS training programs and in curricula for family practice residency programs.