A survey investigating the current situation of the international visiting scholar program at the department of surgery in Korea

Purpose The number of international visiting scholars has been on the increase in Korea and we aim to investigate the program's current situation. Methods This cross-sectional study is based on an online survey questionnaire responded by international visiting scholars in surgical departments of 8 Korean hospitals between 2014 and 2018 about their experiences and satisfaction with the visiting scholar program. Results A total of 1,496 international scholars from 80 countries visited various surgical departments in 8 Korean hospitals between 2014 and 2018. The numbers have been on the increase over the years. Out of 355 visiting scholars in 2018, 71 replied to the online survey, of whom 52 were male and 19 female, and mostly in their 30s and 40s. Information about the program was accessed mostly through friends or colleagues (42.3%) and international conferences (36.6%). The commonest funding source was private (35.2%) and more than half stayed for less than 3 months. The visiting scholar's main roles were mostly observation or participation in surgery and clinical research. All but 1 were satisfied with the program (98.6%) and would recommend it to friends and colleagues, although the language barrier was identified as an inconvenience. Those aged 20-39 years with governmental or institutional funding were associated with stays of more than 1 year. Conclusion The number of international visiting scholars at surgical departments in Korean hospitals has been on the increase with high satisfaction levels. Improvements need to be made on funding sources and lengthening visiting period to maximize the benefits of the program.