When rural is no longer rural: Demand for subspecialty trained surgeons increases with increasing population of a non-metropolitan area.

BACKGROUND

Surgery in larger, non-metropolitan, communities may be distinct from rural practice. Understanding these differences may help guide training. We hypothesize that increasing community size is associated with a desire for subspecialty surgeons.

METHODS

We designed a mixed methods study with the ACS Rural Advisory Council. Rural (50,000 people), small non-metropolitan (50,000-100,000), and large non-metropolitan (>100,000) communities were compared. Quantitative and qualitative data were analyzed.

RESULTS

We received 237 responses, and desire to hire subspecialty-trained surgeons was associated with practice in a large non-metropolitan community, OR 4.5, (1.2-16.5). Qualitative themes demonstrated that rural surgeons limit practices to align with available hospital resources while large non-metropolitan surgeons specialize according to interest and market pressures.

CONCLUSIONS

Surgery in rural versus large non-metropolitan communities may be more distinct than previously understood. Rural practice requires broad preparation while large non-metropolitan practice favors subspecialty training.