A feature in The Bulletin, the monthly member magazine of the American College of Surgeons, suggests that general surgeons should be prepared to step in to perform pediatric surgeries when pediatric surgeons are unavailable.
“In an ideal surgical landscape, a specialty-trained pediatric surgeon would be available to address the needs of any patient 18 years old and under with a smooth transition of care to an adult surgeon familiar with their pathology,” the article states. “But as surgeons and healthcare leaders well know, reality rarely falls along such neat dividing lines, and pediatric surgeons are among the projected 20,000-surgeon shortfall that the US could face in the mid-2030s.”
It explains that “when both general and pediatric surgeons are aligned with their hospitals and health systems, a model that not only allows for but also promotes cross-coverage can be a valuable addition to areas that are limited in healthcare funding and population density.”
It notes that this cross-coverage model can be particularly useful and significant in smaller cities, towns, and rural areas.
Read the entire deep dive into the concept here.
