Effectiveness of a Dedicated Rural General Surgery Residency Track: A 13-Year Analysis of the First ACGME Designated Rural Track.

BackgroundThe shortage of general surgeons in rural America is well documented. The North Dakota community-based general surgery residency program initiated a unique approach to training for rural practice through a dedicated rural track. The rural track included 9 months of rotations in specialty rotations beneficial for rural practice. This study analyzed practice patterns and satisfaction of residents completing rural track training.MethodsAn anonymous voluntary survey was sent to rural track graduates between 2010 and 2022 via the Qualtrics Web site.Data Collection IncludedSpecialty rotations completed, specialty procedures currently performing, satisfaction with rural track training, and recommended specialty rotations for future rural track graduates.ResultsTwelve of fifteen graduates (80%) responded. Eighty-three percent of respondents chose the rural track because they desired practice in rural areas and/or desired broad-spectrum surgical practice. One hundred percent of the graduates were satisfied with their training. Seventy-five percent of the graduates came from a rural background, and 75% either previously practiced or currently practice in a rural community. Procedural data demonstrated that 67% of the graduates performed endoscopy procedures, 42% performed hand procedures, and 47% performed C-sections. Rural track graduates desired more experience in urology (50%), ENT, OBGYN, and advanced endoscopy (33%). Experience in plastic surgery, GI, hand surgery, dermatology, and IR was cited as beneficial.ConclusionThe rural track graduates found significant value in their rural track training that benefited them in practice. Three quarters of the graduates entered rural surgery practice, performing a broad spectrum of procedures.