Representation of Surgical Training on Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education (Acgme) - Accredited Reproductive Endocrinology and Infertility (Rei) Fellowship Websites: A National Content Analysis

OBJECTIVE: REI as a subspecialty has shifted its emphasis from reproductive surgery toward assisted reproductive technologies (ART). This study conducted a content analysis of surgical training information on REI fellowship program websites to assess whether fellowship training reflects this shift. DESIGN: Cross-sectional content analysis MATERIALS AND METHODS: All ACGME-accredited REI fellowship programs listed on the Society for Reproductive Endocrinology and Infertility website with dedicated fellowship websites were included. Descriptive statistics were used to report the proportion of programs that highlighted curricular details on surgical and ART training. Comparisons between groups (e.g., REI programs with or without Minimally Invasive Gynecologic Surgery [MIGS] fellowships or Society of Reproductive Surgeons Surgical Scholars Track [SRS-SST] designations) were performed using Fisher’s exact tests. RESULTS: Fifty-one programs were evaluated across four regions: Northeast (n=18, 35%), South (n=15, 29%), Midwest (n=9, 18%), and West (n=9, 18%). Program types included university (n=21, 41%), private/hybrid (n=23, 45%), and community (n=7, 14%). Twenty-four programs (47%) had co-located MIGS fellowships, and thirteen programs (26%) had SRS-SST designations. Most programs mentioned both surgical training (n=43, 85%) and ART training (n=44, 86%); a significant difference was found in the number of programs that provided dedicated surgery curriculum descriptions vs ART curriculum descriptions (29% vs 55%, p<0.01). No significant differences were observed by region, program type, or MIGS presence. SRS-SST-designated programs were more likely to provide surgical curriculum descriptions (69% vs. 16%, p<0.05) and mention robotic training (62% vs. 24%, p<0.05) in comparison to non-SRS-SST-designated programs. CONCLUSIONS: Most REI fellowship programs emphasize ART training more than surgical training on their websites. This is in line with the overall trend of the REI subspecialty shifting away from surgery as a primary infertility treatment toward an ART-dominated practice. Applicants who desire to be more surgery inclined will likely be more attracted to SRS-SST designated programs, although website content may not reflect actual experience.