Quality of life at work has very much to do with educational efforts during medical residence years. Constant changes of work environment for general practice residents, is a strong reason for high levels of stress at work.

Our study is to present the general rules of work for general practice residents in surgical departments in Greece and the quality of their lives and career motivation.

We use information coming from two hospitals, a large city hospital which covers a population of 780.000 of citizens during all-night duties, and a provincial hospital, which covers a population of 50.000 citizens.

In both workplaces, general practice residents spend much of their education time in the emergencies department or the outpatient clinics of surgery. Stress is more intense in the large hospital, based on the number of patients examined per day and the frustration they receive at work. However, the heavy duty to accompany a patient for a transfer to other hospital is much more often in province, and then the stress is much more intense and lasting. Frustration is also often in the urban hospital where the residents of various specialties are more experienced and have more confidence due to their departments expertise. Satisfaction at work varies according to the personality of every doctor.

Opportunities for scientific development through participation in scientific meetings was stronger in the provincial Hospital due to a good team of strongly motivated researchers that happened to be there and better work environment.

The authors have not supplied their declaration of competing interest.