SURGICAL ENDOSCOPY FELLOWSHIPS - WHAT DIFFERENCE DO THEY MAKE

This study was conducted to evaluate the career impact of a formalized surgical endoscopy fellowship. Sixteen surgeons who have completed th is training were surveyed via questionnaire. Twelve individuals were f ound to be in teaching settings, 10 had academic appointments, and 12 had published in the endoscopic and gastrointestinal literature. Gastr ointestinal endoscopy constituted a mean of 28% of these surgeons' pra ctices. Gastrointestinal surgery was the focus of a mean of 51% of the ir operative experience, and laparoscopic surgery constituted a mean o f 40% of their surgical activity. Twelve of these individuals performe d ERCP as part of their clinical practice, and 11 performed advanced l aparoscopic surgical procedures. Relationships with nonsurgical endosc opic colleagues were considered positive for 5 surgeons, negative for 7, and neutral for 4. Professional relationships with nongastroenterol ogic physicians were uniformly positive or neutral. We conclude that f ormal surgical endoscopy fellowships facilitate subsequent academic an d educational activity, foster surgical practices oriented toward gast rointestinal disease, and impact relationships with nonsurgical collea gues in a variable fashion.