Barriers to Surgical Health Care Access in Rural Communities

Abstract

Rural surgical care is a dying specialty that needs aid. The current rural surgeon workforce is retiring at an alarming rate, and rural hospital closures diminish the accessibility of surgical care for its population. Action is needed to increase the number of surgeons entering the rural surgical field. Identifying individuals with rural backgrounds and interests needs to be paramount. Those individuals must be mentored and guided to build the surgical workforce in these communities. In addition, recruiting and retaining surgeons in these areas requires innovative solutions and strategies.