Workforce issues in rural surgery.

Almost one quarter of America's population and one third of its landmass are defined as rural and served by approximately 20% of the nation's general surgeons. General surgeons are the backbone of the rural health workforce. There is significant maldistribution of general surgeons across regions and different types of rural areas. Rural areas have markedly fewer surgeons per population than the national average. The demography of the rural general surgery workforce differs substantially from the urban general surgery workforce, raising concerns about the extent to which general surgical services can be maintained in rural areas of the United States.