Regional disparity in surgical residency training and work environment between urban and regional hospitals: an additional perspective from a nationwide survey of surgical residents.

Purpose: To investigate the current status of regional disparities in surgical residency training between urban and regional hospitals.

Methods: Based on a nationwide online questionnaire survey of newly certified surgical trainees, the responding residents were divided into the following two groups according to the size of the city in which they had trained: the urban city group (UC group; population > 1 million) and the regional city group (RC group; population < 1 million. Surgical education and work environment of the two groups were compared.

Results: The UC group (n = 317, 42%) was characterized by greater post-graduate experience, older age, a higher proportion of female surgeons, and a higher percentage of full-time working partners relative to the RC group (n = 439, 58%). More residents in the UC group were from urban areas, whereas the RC group had more residents from regional areas. No differences were observed in the number of surgeries performed, published papers, opportunities for off-the-job training, or satisfaction with the surgical residency training program. With the exception of higher income in the RC group, no differences were observed for other factors related to the work environment.

Conclusions: There was little regional disparity regarding the impressions of surgical residency training between urban and regional cities, including surgical education and work environment.