Why the Lab? Quantifying General Surgery Resident Motivations to Pursue Dedicated Research Time

Background: Many general surgery residents choose to pursue time away from their clinical training programs to perform dedicated research time (DRT). Resident motivations to pursue DRT need to be examined in order to provide appropriate programmatic support during this stage of training. Methods: A 37-item survey was designed utilizing the novel Conceptual Framework for Optimizing DRT. General surgery program directors were asked to distribute this online anonymous survey to their trainees. Chi-squared tests were used to examine the association between various motivations and whether the trainee pursued DRT. Chi-squared tests were then used to determine the satisfaction of DRT participants regarding various aspects of their research time. Results: 156 trainees completed the survey (pre-DRT: 42, intra-DRT: 41, post-DRT: 37, no-DRT: 36). Trainees pursing DRT were more likely to cite factors such as academic career planning and flexibility of schedule compared to those not pursing DRT who expressed concern about loss of skills and salary. Trainees who participated in DRT were the least satisfied with the support they received transitioning back to clinical duties, however 79% expressed satisfaction with the value of their research experience, and 80.5% were satisfied with their overall experience. Conclusions: Resident motivations for pursing DRT include career planning purposes, professional development needs, and personal rejuvenation reasons. These considerations are tempered by concerns for loss of future salary and clinical skills due to time away from residency. Programmatic support for residents in DRT should be designed to address these motivations and concerns.