General surgery: Should you do it or not?

Colon and rectal surgery is a well-established surgical subspecialty which was at the forefront of the development of specialization. One of the considerations of such a specialty surgeon is if the incorporation of continued general surgery work should be a component of their practice. Does this diminish their distinction as an expert in their field? Is their day to day experience broad enough to allow for continued coverage of a field that they trained in, but are not being consistently exposed to? The viewpoints on this topic can be divergent. This forum considers this multifaceted issue from these varied perspectives while providing historical context. It is important to realize that, when considering entering into a position, a physician must decide what their professional goals are and what they are looking for in a job while taking into account this very important topic. (C) 2019 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.