{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,6,8]],"date-time":"2026-06-08T23:04:26Z","timestamp":1780959866055,"version":"3.54.1"},"reference-count":15,"publisher":"Georg Thieme Verlag KG","issue":"04","content-domain":{"domain":[],"crossmark-restriction":false},"short-container-title":["Clin Colon Rectal Surg"],"published-print":{"date-parts":[[2026,7]]},"abstract":"<jats:title>Abstract<\/jats:title>\n                  <jats:p>From its origins in the late 1800s, colon and rectal surgery has evolved from itinerant practitioners to a highly specialized surgical discipline. We highlight the historical development and the current state of the colorectal surgery training programs. The American Proctologic Society (APS) was founded by Joseph M. Mathews in 1899 that catalyzed the formation of early training programs in University of Minnesota (1916) and Mayo Clinic (1919). The American Board of Colon and Rectal Surgery (ABCRS) was recognized as the eighteenth medical specialty board in 1949. Formal accreditation of the programs began in 1975, with the Accreditation Council of Graduate Medical Education (ACGME) gradually implementing standardized curricula and competency-based training milestones. The National Residency Match Program (NRMP) and Electronic Residency Application Service (ERAS) adopted in 1984 and 2003, respectively, further streamlined the application process. Training innovations like the laparoscopic education committees (1997) and robotic surgery programs (2010) bear testament to the dedication of the program directors to continually advance this field. With a structured curriculum, rigorous examinations, and a plethora of study resources, this specialty has evolved from informal apprenticeships to competency-based residency programs. Current challenges include grade inflation in evaluation, a 67% match rate (2024) despite program expansion, adapting to evolving trends in medical and surgical care, and mastering new surgical techniques in a limited amount of time. The collaboration between governing bodies ensures high-quality training standards for the colon and rectal surgeons of the future.<\/jats:p>","DOI":"10.1055\/s-0045-1813660","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2025,12,3]],"date-time":"2025-12-03T00:29:00Z","timestamp":1764721740000},"page":"247-252","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":0,"title":["The Evolution of Colorectal Surgery Training"],"prefix":"10.1055","volume":"39","author":[{"given":"Shalmali","family":"Dharmadhikari","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Price Institute of Surgical Research, University of Louisville School of Medicine, Louisville, Kentucky, United States"},{"name":"Hiram C. Polk Jr., MD, Department of Surgery, University of Louisville School of Medicine, Louisville, Kentucky, United States"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Susan","family":"Galandiuk","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Price Institute of Surgical Research, University of Louisville School of Medicine, Louisville, Kentucky, United States"},{"name":"Hiram C. Polk Jr., MD, Department of Surgery, University of Louisville School of Medicine, Louisville, Kentucky, United States"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Hillary","family":"Simon","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Hiram C. Polk Jr., MD, Department of Surgery, University of Louisville School of Medicine, Louisville, Kentucky, United States"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]}],"member":"194","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2025,12,2]]},"reference":[{"issue":"10","key":"ref1","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"1178","DOI":"10.1097\/DCR.0000000000002205","article-title":"American proctology before 1899, part 1: \u201cShoals of quacks\u201d\u2014the itinerant pile doctor","volume":"64","author":"D F Janssen","year":"2021","journal-title":"Dis Colon Rectum"},{"issue":"01","key":"ref2","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"5","DOI":"10.1016\/0002-9610(50)90184-X","article-title":"First fifty years of proctology: Joseph M. Mathews oration","volume":"79","author":"L J Hirschman","year":"1950","journal-title":"Am J Surg"},{"key":"ref3","volume-title":"From Mathews to the Millennium: A Century of Achievement; A History of the American Society of Colon & Rectal Surgeons, 1899\u20131999","author":"J B Gathright","year":"1999"},{"key":"ref4","first-page":"113","volume-title":"From apprenticeship to accreditation: the history of colorectal training programs in the United States","author":"G T Ault","year":"2024"},{"issue":"03","key":"ref5","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"149","DOI":"10.1007\/BF02616970","article-title":"A brief history of the American board of colon and rectal surgery","volume":"9","author":"G W Ault","year":"1966","journal-title":"Dis Colon Rectum"},{"issue":"06","key":"ref6","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"675","DOI":"10.1097\/DCR.0000000000003260","article-title":"Association of Program Directors for Colon and Rectal Surgery: first 4 decades","volume":"68","author":"S R Kelley","year":"2025","journal-title":"Dis Colon Rectum"},{"issue":"06","key":"ref9","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"764","DOI":"10.1097\/DCR.0000000000003685","article-title":"Optimal pouch training: investigating operative and nonoperative needs study","volume":"68","author":"E Steinhagen","year":"2025","journal-title":"Dis Colon Rectum"},{"issue":"03","key":"ref10","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"126","DOI":"10.1053\/j.scrs.2015.04.003","article-title":"Accreditation standards for colon and rectal surgery residency: Overview of accreditation from the chair of the Residency Review Committee","volume":"26","author":"B A Orkin","year":"2015","journal-title":"Semin Colon Rectal Surg"},{"key":"ref11","first-page":"133","volume-title":"Association of program directors for colon and rectal surgery","author":"S R Kelley","year":"2024"},{"issue":"02","key":"ref12","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"e55","DOI":"10.1097\/SLA.0000000000004172","article-title":"Successful virtual interviews: perspectives from recent surgical fellowship applicants and advice for both applicants and programs","volume":"273","author":"S K McKinley","year":"2021","journal-title":"Ann Surg"},{"key":"ref14","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"90","DOI":"10.1007\/s44186-024-00290-1","article-title":"The lasting impact of virtual interviews on surgical fellowship applicants","volume":"3","author":"E R Becker","year":"2024","journal-title":"Global Surg Educ"},{"issue":"06","key":"ref15","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"2824","DOI":"10.1177\/00031348211056276","article-title":"Assessing content of accredited colon and rectal surgery fellowship websites: is there adequate information for applicants?","volume":"89","author":"H Abdou","year":"2023","journal-title":"Am Surg"},{"issue":"07","key":"ref16","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"800","DOI":"10.1097\/DCR.0000000000003702","article-title":"The emperor's new virtual clothes: conducting colon and rectal surgery residency interviews in the post-COVID era","volume":"68","author":"M S Uwah","year":"2025","journal-title":"Dis Colon Rectum"},{"issue":"01","key":"ref23","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"365","DOI":"10.1007\/s11701-024-02118-y","article-title":"The impact of standardized robotics course training during colorectal surgery fellowship on post-training practice: a survey of graduates","volume":"18","author":"A L Bastawrous","year":"2024","journal-title":"J Robot Surg"},{"issue":"05","key":"ref24","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"985","DOI":"10.1177\/00031348231220574","article-title":"Colon and rectal surgery fellowship applicant and matching trends in the United States: an analysis of national resident matching program data","volume":"90","author":"A H Sohail","year":"2024","journal-title":"Am Surg"}],"container-title":["Clinics in Colon and Rectal Surgery"],"original-title":[],"language":"en","link":[{"URL":"http:\/\/www.thieme-connect.de\/products\/ejournals\/pdf\/10.1055\/s-0045-1813660.pdf","content-type":"unspecified","content-version":"vor","intended-application":"similarity-checking"}],"deposited":{"date-parts":[[2026,6,8]],"date-time":"2026-06-08T22:54:05Z","timestamp":1780959245000},"score":1,"resource":{"primary":{"URL":"http:\/\/www.thieme-connect.de\/DOI\/DOI?10.1055\/s-0045-1813660"}},"subtitle":[],"short-title":[],"issued":{"date-parts":[[2025,12,2]]},"references-count":15,"journal-issue":{"issue":"04","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2026,6,8]]},"published-print":{"date-parts":[[2026,7]]}},"URL":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1055\/s-0045-1813660","archive":["Portico","CLOCKSS"],"relation":{},"ISSN":["1531-0043","1530-9681"],"issn-type":[{"value":"1531-0043","type":"print"},{"value":"1530-9681","type":"electronic"}],"subject":[],"published":{"date-parts":[[2025,12,2]]}}}