Methods: A questionnaire including six categories was prepared. The web address of the questionnaire was delivered to training residents via e-mail. The participants were divided into groups based on their residency including the Ministry of Health (MH) and University Hospital (UH) group.

Results: A total of 204 residents participated (male 85.7%, females 14.3%) in the survey (MH=125, UH=79/TS=82, CVS=122) between 14, April 2011 - 14, August 2011. One hundred twenty residents (59.1%) found training periods sufficient. Seventy-eight point two percent of institutions had no training program. Conferences were the most common (47.4%) theoretical/ didactical activity, whereas 32.9% had no program. Forty nine residents (34.7%) considered not going any rotation during training, while rotation which participated actively was general surgery (44.8%). Twenty-nine residents (16.8%) considered that their mentors were sufficiently equipped, while 42.2% (n=73), particularly from the MH hospitals, found their mentors insufficient (p=0.001). It was stated that 67% of the residents (n=122) received the professional knowledge mostly from senior residents. One hundred eighty four (98.3%) residents thought that there was no standardization between the training program and institutions. The number of operations per month was higher in MH hospitals than in UH (p<0.001). The rate of trainees of TS and CVS from MH hospitals who performed operations as an operator was much higher than in UH (p=0.04, p=0.02). Hundred thirteen residents (64.2%) reported that they only provided service. 65.4% (n=128) of trainees worked at least 90 hours per week and the rate of on calls above nine per month was 59.8% (n=119). One hundred forty residents (79%) reported that performance system would affect surgical training adversely. While the reason for that they could not perform their surgery at compulsory service hospital was difficulty of postoperative care for TS residents (70.6%; n=36) and it was lack of equipment for CVS residents (81.3%; n=78). The residents from UH complained more about technical and educational deficiencies than MH hospitals (48.1% versus 31%, p=0.04).

Conclusion: Non-standardization of the training institutions and tutorials is also reflected upon residency training. Residents are being oppressed under the work loads, educated by inappropriate mentors with unsatisfied training program and they also consider that their success and qualification will not be good enough due to defects in training process.