ArticleJournal of the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons. Global research & reviews2022
From Self-efficacy to Imposter Syndrome: The Intrapersonal Traits of Surgeons.
Article in Journal of the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons. Global research & reviews, 2022. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 12 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.
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Who cites it
12 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it, 25 citations in OpenAlex.
- Surgeon's imposter syndrome: a systematic review.Langenbeck's archives of surgery · 2025Pooled it
- Imposter Phenomenon or Perfectionism? Imposter Syndrome and Perfectionism in Plastic Surgery Training and Practice.Plastic and reconstructive surgery. Global open · 2026Article
- Quiet Doubts: Exploring the Relationship between Introversion, Demographic Characteristics, and Imposter Phenomenon among Canadian Medical Students, Residents and Practicing Physicians.Perspectives on medical education · 2026Article
- Coping Mechanisms and Resilience Strategies for Addressing Impostor Phenomenon in Healthcare Professionals.Cureus · 2025Review
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- The impostor phenomenon among surgeons and surgeons in training: a scoping review.BMC medical education · 2025Article
- Surgeon and Surgical Trainee Experiences After Adverse Patient Events.JAMA network open · 2024Article
- Exploring constructions of female surgeons' intersecting identities and their impacts: a qualitative interview study with clinicians and patients in Ireland and Scotland.Frontiers in medicine · 2024Article
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- Feeling like an imposter: are surgeons holding themselves back?Trauma surgery & acute care open · 2023Article
- Imposter Syndrome Among Orthopaedic Surgery Residents is Extremely Common and Disproportionately Affects Female Residents.JB & JS open accessReview
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
7 authors at 2 institutions in 2 countries.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
backgroundDemographic differences among surgical trainees regarding intrapersonal traits, such as imposter syndrome and assertiveness, have become widely acknowledged. However, many of these characteristics have not been examined in tandem, nor among both trainees and surgeons in practice. This study aimed to address these knowledge gaps.
methodsThis was an anonymous, voluntary survey study comprised of validated measures of (1) self-efficacy, (2) imposter syndrome, (3) assertiveness, (4) perfectionism, and (5) self-rated likeability. A multimodal recruitment strategy was used and surgeons across all subspecialties were eligible for inclusion.
resultsA total of 296 participants were included, with 54% identifying as female (n = 161) and 72% between the ages of 25 and 40 years of age (n = 212). Imposter syndrome, assertiveness, and perfectionism scales were normally distributed; self-efficacy and self-rated likeability scales demonstrated slight negative skew. Self-identified male sex was associated with less imposter syndrome (P < 0.001) and perfectionism (P = 0.035) and higher assertiveness (P < 0.001). Imposter syndrome was less common among older age groups (P = 0.001).
conclusionsSurgeons are a self-efficacious group of perfectionists with widespread variability in imposter syndrome and assertiveness. Female sex and younger age were associated with more imposter syndrome and less assertiveness, highlighting an opportunity for early career coaching.
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Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.