Current status of anesthesia residency in Taiwan: a questionnaire survey

Purpose There are 26 teaching hospitals in Taiwan that provide anesthesia residency training programs (one program per hospital), and only an average of 40 medical graduates are accepted for residency training per year. The aim of this study is to understand how this situation affects the learning and working conditions of anesthesia residents in Taiwan. Methods A self-structured survey was mailed to all 178 anesthesia residents receiving training in Taiwan in April 20, 2012. Survey questions included resident characteristics, working and learning conditions, satisfaction with resident training programs, and reasons for choosing anesthesiology as a career. In addition to descriptive statistics, linear regression was used to test correlation between working conditions and satisfaction with training programs. Results The survey was completed by 136 residents. Although the residents’ expected optimal working time was 54.1 ± 12.2 h per week, their actual working time was an average of 64.0 ± 15.7 h per week. In addition, the workload included managing 4.2 ± 1.3 operating rooms simultaneously. The ratio of working vs. learning time was 2.2 ± 1.1. Less than 40 % of the residents were satisfied with their training in critical care and pain management. Anesthesia residents with heavier workloads and higher ratios of work vs. learning time had significantly lower satisfaction with their training programs, especially with training environments ( R 2 = 0.169). General interest in anesthesiology and related work (66.1 %) was the main factor in choosing anesthesia as their career. Conclusions Anesthesia residents in Taiwan are treated as an integral part of hospital manpower. This may limit the effectiveness of their learning and cause dissatisfaction with their training environment. To improve the current status, anesthesia residents should perform anesthesia in one operating room at a time and some of the anesthesia training hospitals should be suggested for removal.