[Situation of surgical residents in central Germany].
METHODS
All surgical departments in Saxony-Anhalt, Saxony and Thuringia were included in the study. Two questionnaires were administered. One was directed at the chairmen of departments and the other at residents. An additional questionnaire was administered to foreign residents.


RESULTS
A total of 58 chairmen of surgical departments, who maintain 270 training positions and 100 residents with 22 (22%) being foreigners, participated in the study. Twenty resident positions (7.4%) were unfilled, 27 (27%) residents saw their professional future abroad and 46 (46%) were generally satisfied with their surgical records while three (3%) were satisfied with the documentation procedures. A total of 28 (28%) were content with the amount of free time but 7 (31.8%) foreign residents regretted their decision to come to Germany.


CONCLUSIONS
The decline in the number of physicians in central Germany is serious. The situation is caused by insufficient salary, unrecorded and unpaid overtime, an unacceptable amount of leisure time and an insufficient guarantee for the amount surgical procedures provided.
Mroczkowski
P
P
Klinik für Allgemein-, Viszeral- und Gefässchirurgie, Universitätsklinikum, Leipziger Strasse 44, 39120 Magdeburg. pawel.mroczkowski@medizin.uni-magdeburg.de
Granowski
D
D
Nestler
G
G
Pross
M
M
Lippert
H
H
D001291:Attitude of Health Personnel; D002321:Career Choice; D003625:Data Collection; D005550:Foreign Medical Graduates / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D013502:General Surgery / Q000193:education*; D005858:Germany; D006801:Humans; D007396:Internship and Residency; D007588:Job Satisfaction; D000078329:Workforce; D016526:Workload / Q000706:statistics & numerical data