Satisfaction and attrition in Canadian surgical training program leadership: a survey of program directors

CMAJ Open. 2023 Mar 14;11(2):E237-E266. doi: 10.9778/cmajo.20210270. Print 2023 Mar-Apr.ABSTRACTBACKGROUND: Surgical program directors (PDs) play an integral role in the well-being and success of postgraduate trainees. Although studies about medical specialties have documented factors contributing to PD burnout, early attrition rates and contributory factors among surgical PDs have not yet been described. We aimed to evaluate Canadian surgical PD satisfaction, stressors in the role and areas institutions could target to improve PD support.METHODS: We administered a cross-sectional survey of postgraduate Canadian surgical PDs from all Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada accredited surgical specialties. Domains we assessed included PD demographics and compensation, availability of administrative support, satisfaction with the PD role and factors contributing to PD challenges and burnout.RESULTS: Sixty percent of eligible surgical PDs (81 out of 134) from all 12 surgical specialties responded to the survey. We found significant heterogeneity in PD tenure, compensation models and available administrative support. All respondents reported exceeding their weekly protected time for the PD position, and 66% received less than 0.8 full-time equivalent of administrative support. One-third of respondents were satisfied with overall compensation, whereas 43% were unhappy with compensatory models. Most respondents (70%) enjoyed many aspects of the PD role, including relatio...
Source: cmaj - Category: General Medicine Authors: Source Type: research