Materials and Methods: A total of 180 residents from thoracic surgery clinics in randomly selected university, training, and research hospitals in Turkey were contacted. A 37- question survey was designed using tr.surveymonkey.com and distributed via social media (WhatsApp). Of these, 160 residents participated, and the results were analyzed.

Results: Among the 160 respondents, 94 (58.8%) were male and 66 (41.2%) were female, with a mean age of 29.4 ± 2.9 years (range 25-39). In the medical specialty examination, 137 (85.63%) of the participants ranked thoracic surgery in the 1st to 5th positions. Clinics had a mean of 9 ± 5 residents (range 1-22). 37 (23.1%) reported 8 or more shifts per month, and 31 (19.4%) had no time off after shifts. Approximately 52% of clinics offered an average of 5 ± 2.5 hours of training per month. A total of 109 (68.1%) residents were able to perform cases as the primary surgeon. The main learning sources were mainly senior assistants (41.9%) and faculty members (31.2%). ‘Mobbing’ was reported by 26 (16.2%), and 88 (55%) expressed future career uncertainty. After training, 43.1% planned to work as specialists, and 32.5% aimed for academic careers.

Conclusion: The study offers insights to enhance thoracic surgery training programs, support residents, and improve professional satisfaction. These findings may guide future strategies and policies to foster a better educational environment in thoracic surgery. Keywords : survey, residents, education, thoracic surgery, profession