• Christina A Fleming, Simone Augustinus, Daan H L Lemmers, Victor López-López, Christine Nitschke, Olivier Farges, Paulina Salminen, P Ronan O'Connell, Ricardo Robles Campos, Robert Caiazzo, and European Surgical Association.
• Department of Colorectal Surgery, University of Limerick Hospital Group, Limerick, Ireland.
• Ann. Surg. 2023 Nov 1; 278 (5): 655661655-661.

IntroductionOver the past 2 decades, physicians' wellbeing has become a topic of interest. It is currently unclear what the current needs are of early career academic surgeons (ECAS).MethodsConsensus statements on academic needs were developed during a Delphi process, including all presenters from the previous European Surgical Association (ESA) meetings (2018-2022). The Delphi involved (1) a literature review, (2) Delphi form generation, and (3) an accelerated Delphi process. The Delphi form was generated by a steering group that discussed findings identified within the literature. The modified accelerated e-consensus approach included 3 rounds over a 4-week period. Consensus was defined as >80% agreement in any round.ResultsForty respondents completed all 3 rounds of the Delphi. Median age was 37 years (interquartile range 5), and 53% were female. Majority were consultant/attending (52.5%), followed by PhD (22.5%), fellowship (15%), and residency (10%). ECAS was defined as a surgeon in 'development' years of clinical and academic practice relative to their career goals (87.9% agreement). Access to split academic and clinical contracts is desirable (87.5%). Consensus on the factors contributing to ECAS underperformance included: burnout (94.6%), lack of funding (80%), lack of mentorship (80%), and excessive clinical commitments (80%). Desirable factors to support ECAS development included: access to e-learning (90.9%), face-to-face networking opportunities (95%), support for research team development (100%), and specific formal mentorship (93.9%).ConclusionThe evolving role and responsibilities of ECAS require increasing strategic support, mentorship, and guidance on structured career planning. This will facilitate workforce sustainability in academic surgery in the future.Copyright © 2023 Wolters Kluwer Health, Inc. All rights reserved.

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