Ethics in Surgery Training

Today, 80% of surveyed general surgery residency programs across the United States and Canada train residents without using animals.

While 78% of surveyed general surgery residency programs across the United States and Canada use only human-relevant training methods, some medical centers continue to use live animals.

When animals are used, a range of open and laparoscopic procedures may be performed, including appendectomy (removal of the appendix), cholecystectomy (removal of the gallbladder), gastrectomy (removal of part of the stomach), and various techniques for dealing with trauma injuries. In all instances, the medical centers kill the animals at the end of the training sessions.

Yet all surgical skills can be taught using methods relevant to human medicine, including laparoscopic, virtual reality, and human-patient simulators, human cadavers, and partial task trainers. These methods can bleed, breathe, and even “die” when medical errors occur.

In 2018, the Physicians Committee began a survey of surgery residency programs in the U.S. and Canada. Due to the large number of programs, the survey is ongoing.

Take Action

Here are some of the surgery programs the Physicians Committee is actively working to change. Please take a moment to urge each to replace animals with human-relevant methods.