USA vs. UK: ASGBI Ep. 6 - Current Challenges and Hopes for the Future of Surgical Training

Welcome to the 6th episode of our BTK/ASGBI series! During this series, BTK fellow Agnes Premkumar and ASGBI hosts Jared Wohlgemut and Gita Lingam will compare and contrast various aspects of surgery between the United States and the United Kingdom, debating who does what better.

In this episode, we delve into surgical training, current challenges, and hopes for the future of surgical training in the US and the UK. We will be discussing the advent of the EPA curriculum in the US, the current challenge of obtaining a speciality position in the UK, and tips for making the resident to attending/junior faculty transition smoothly. Dr. Jeremy Lipman represents the US while Dr. Phil Pearce represents the UK in this thought-provoking conversation.

Dr. Lipman is a colorectal surgeon at the Cleveland Clinic and the director of graduate medical education for all training programs at the Cleveland Clinic. Additionally, he is an Associate Dean for Graduate Medical Education and Professor of Surgery at Case Western Reserve University. He is passionate about surgical training and holds the James E. Sampliner Endowed Chair in Surgical Education.

Dr. Phil Pearce is a consultant in emergency general surgery in Oxford with interests in trauma, complex biliary disease, and most importantly a passion for training.

Take a listen and let us know what you think- who does surgical education and training better?

References:
Speciality training position in the NHS
https://www.ft.com/content/e4b364c3-6a20-42ee-a9a5-ab9eea441c87?utm_source=chatgpt.com
https://www.theguardian.com/society/2025/jul/02/nhs-in-england-told-to-slash-recruitment-of-overseas-trained-medics?utm_source=chatgpt.com

Surgery job market in the US
https://surgpli.com/the-state-of-surgery-as-a-career-in-2025/

EPA curriculum
https://www.aamc.org/about-us/mission-areas/medical-education/cbme/core-epas

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