Sabbaticals for Academic Surgeons: A Forgotten Enterprise in Faculty Development?

Academic sabbaticals are exceptional opportunities for surgeons; however, their impact on effective faculty development in academic medical centers is underestimated, their completion by surgeons is infrequent, and reports of their outcomes and benefits to their institution are lacking in the international literature. Financial pressures in academic medical centers result in surgical faculty concentrating their efforts on reimbursable clinical care, often at the expense of their continuous professional development. It is the purpose of this article to review the structure, purpose, outcomes, financial challenges, and unintended consequences associated with academic sabbaticals while suggesting that these endeavors are largely forgotten enterprises in the faculty development arena. We therefore recommend that increased awareness of these opportunities be brought to the attention of surgical faculty.