Homma Takahiro, Tanaka Ryota, Nakamura Shota, Aragaki Masato, Chen-Yoshikawa Toyofumi Fengshi, Kato Tatsuya, Saji Hisahi
Thoracic Surgery Working Group, Japanese Association for Surgical Education, Tokyo, Japan.
Department of Thoracic Surgery, St. Marianna University School of Medicine, Kawasaki, Kanagawa, Japan.
Surg Today. 2025 Aug 30. doi: 10.1007/s00595-025-03111-0.
Addressing the decline in the number of surgeons in Japan and an uneven specialty distribution is crucial for a sustainable working environment. We conducted this study to investigate the motivations behind the choice of medical specialty among thoracic surgeons across multiple institutions in Japan.
A nationwide online questionnaire survey was distributed by the Japanese Association for Surgical Education's thoracic surgery working group, targeting all thoracic surgeons.
Of the 725 respondents, 95.6% decided on thoracic surgery after starting clinical training. The key influencing factors included respectful supervisors and seniors (79.3%), procedures (78.1%), organs (77.9%), diseases (75.4%), and atmosphere (70.3%). The final deciding factors were procedures (37.1%), atmosphere (17.0%), and organs (11.2%), with work-life balance reported by 7.0%. More thoracic surgeons in the 20 s-30 s age group than those in the over 40 s age group prioritized procedures (47.3% vs 31.5%; P < 0.0001), organs (14.3% vs 9.4%; P = 0.049), and work-life balance (11.2% vs 4.7%; P = 0.0014). Only 9.2% of respondents chose a career in thoracic surgery exclusively, whereas 90.8% considered other specialties (81.3% surgical, 18.7% non-surgical).
This survey revealed that the broad appeal of thoracic surgery often attracted individuals from diverse backgrounds, sometimes after they had considered other specialties. Increasing the number of thoracic surgeons requires promoting its appeal and fostering a positive work and educational environment.
应对日本外科医生数量的下降以及专业分布不均的问题，对于营造可持续的工作环境至关重要。我们开展这项研究，旨在调查日本多个机构的胸外科医生选择医学专业背后的动机。
日本外科教育协会胸外科工作组在全国范围内开展了一项在线问卷调查，对象为所有胸外科医生。
在725名受访者中，95.6%在开始临床培训后才决定从事胸外科。关键影响因素包括受尊敬的上级和前辈（79.3%）、手术（78.1%）、器官（77.9%）、疾病（75.4%）以及氛围（70.3%）。最终决定因素为手术（37.1%）、氛围（17.0%）和器官（11.2%），7.0%的受访者提到了工作与生活的平衡。20多岁至30多岁年龄组的胸外科医生比40岁以上年龄组的医生更看重手术（47.3%对31.5%；P < 0.0001）、器官（14.3%对9.4%；P = 0.049）以及工作与生活的平衡（11.2%对4.7%；P = 0.0014）。只有9.2%的受访者专门选择了胸外科职业，而90.8%的人考虑过其他专业（81.3%为外科专业，18.7%为非外科专业）。
这项调查显示，胸外科的广泛吸引力常常吸引来自不同背景的人，有时是在他们考虑过其他专业之后。增加胸外科医生的数量需要提升其吸引力，并营造积极的工作和教育环境。
