Academic performance after neurosurgery residency training in Turkey: a national survey

Abstract

<jats:sec><jats:title>OBJECTIVE</jats:title><jats:p>Neurosurgery training programs aim to train specialists. In addition, they are expected to equip the residents with necessary knowledge and skills for academic development. This study aims to gain insights into academic productivity after neurosurgeons graduated from residency training in Turkey.</jats:p></jats:sec><jats:sec><jats:title>METHODS</jats:title><jats:p>An electronic survey was sent to all Turkish Neurosurgical Society members (n = 1662 neurosurgeons) between September and November 2019. The number of participants was 289 (17.4%). Participants were divided into subgroups based on three main factors: training institution type (university hospital [UH] vs training and research hospital [TRH]), training institution annual case volume (low [&lt; 1000 or inadequate cranial/spinal case numbers] vs high [&gt; 1000 and adequate cranial/spinal case numbers]), and training program accreditation status (accredited vs nonaccredited).</jats:p></jats:sec><jats:sec><jats:title>RESULTS</jats:title><jats:p>The majority of the participants (64.7%) graduated from the UHs. Those trained at UHs (vs TRHs) and high- (vs low-) volume centers had their dissertations more frequently published in Science Citation Index/Science Citation Index–Expanded journals, gave more oral presentations after residency, had higher h-indices, had higher rates of reviewership for academic journals, and had greater participation in projects with grant support. In addition, graduates of accredited programs reported more PhD degrees than those of nonaccredited programs.</jats:p></jats:sec><jats:sec><jats:title>CONCLUSIONS</jats:title><jats:p>Neurosurgeons trained in higher-case-volume, accredited programs, mostly in the UHs, performed better in terms of scientific activities and productivity in Turkey. Strong research emphasis and supportive measures should be instituted to increase academic performance during and after residency training.</jats:p></jats:sec>

The Continuing Impact of Coronavirus Disease 2019 on Neurosurgical Training at the 1-Year Mark: Results of a Nationwide Survey of Neurosurgery Residents in Turkey

“…A total of 435 residents are enrolled in 69 neurosurgical training programs in 35 cities in Turkey. 16 , 17 The distribution of the participants across different cities and institutions confirmed good representation of national data. Two types of academic health care institutions, namely UHs (autonomous) and TRHs (governed by the Ministry of Health), are responsible for residency training in Turkey.…”

“…That there is no strict supervision of residency training and board certification for neurosurgery is not mandatory on a national level in Turkey could be the reasons for disregarding strong theoretic education. 17 , 38 In comparison, more than half of the North American neurosurgical residents (58.6%) reported spending >4 hours per week in formal didactic lectures through their program during the pandemic. 33 …”

“…However, prepandemic level of resident involvement in academic research had already been lower in Turkey compared with North American and European counterparts, as shown by several studies. 17 , 48 Therefore, we believe that strong encouragement in research among neurosurgery residents should be a priority for program directors and neurosurgical societies.…”

Applications of enhanced recovery after surgery protocols for unruptured anterior circulation aneurysms in tertiary-level healthcare institutions: a national study

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HealtH services in Türkiye are categorized into three levels. 1 Elective aneurysm surgery can only be performed at tertiary-level healthcare (TLH) institutions. State university hospitals (UHs), private UHs, training and research hospitals (TRHs), and city hospitals constitute TLH institutions.

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