The next frontier of acute care general surgery: fellowship training

Paul T Engels; Jennie Lee; Timothy R Rice; Rahima Nenshi; Chad G Ball; Morad Hameed; Sandy Widder; Samuel Minor; Najma Ahmed; Neil Parry; Kelly Vogt; Canadian Collaborative on Urgent Care Surgery (CANUCS)

doi:10.1503/cjs.020821

The next frontier of acute care general surgery: fellowship training

Can J Surg. 2023 Feb 2;66(1):E42-E44. doi: 10.1503/cjs.020821. Print 2023 Jan-Feb.

Affiliations

¹ From the Department of Surgery, McMaster University, Hamilton, Ont. (Engels, Rice, Nenshi); the Department of Surgery, Oakville Trafalgar Memorial Hospital, Oakville, Ont. (Lee); the Department of Surgery, University of Calgary, Calgary, Alta. (Ball); the Department of Surgery, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, B.C. (Hameed); the Department of Surgery, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Alta. (Widder); the Department of Surgery, Dalhousie University, Halifax, N.S. (Minor); the Department of Surgery, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ont. (Ahmed); the Department of Surgery, Western University, London, Ont. (Parry, Vogt) [email protected].
² From the Department of Surgery, McMaster University, Hamilton, Ont. (Engels, Rice, Nenshi); the Department of Surgery, Oakville Trafalgar Memorial Hospital, Oakville, Ont. (Lee); the Department of Surgery, University of Calgary, Calgary, Alta. (Ball); the Department of Surgery, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, B.C. (Hameed); the Department of Surgery, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Alta. (Widder); the Department of Surgery, Dalhousie University, Halifax, N.S. (Minor); the Department of Surgery, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ont. (Ahmed); the Department of Surgery, Western University, London, Ont. (Parry, Vogt).

Abstract

Acute care surgery (ACS) is an area of surgical specialization within general surgery and a model for clinical care delivery that has proliferated over the last 2 decades. Models of ACS in Canada exist in both academic and community settings and are used to manage patients in need of emergency general surgery (EGS) care, with or without the provision of trauma care. The implementation of the ACS model has changed the landscape of patient care, surgical education and the workforce, providing an option for some general surgeons to exclude EGS care from their regular practice. The rise of ACS as a concentration of surgical skill and content expertise has resulted in the establishment of dedicated ACS fellowship training programs. This is a landmark in the evolution of general surgery, as well as a stepping stone on the path to improving patient care, surgical education and scholarly endeavour in this field.

MeSH terms

Critical Care
Emergency Medical Services*
Emergency Treatment
Fellowships and Scholarships
General Surgery* / education
Humans
Surgeons*