One surgeon's philosophy of surgical education

Changing trends in plastic surgery training

BACKGROUND

The currently available training models are being put to scrutiny in India today, both by the residents and the teachers. Plastic surgery specialty was created primarily for reconstructive purposes but the society always perceived it from a cosmetic angle, particularly in the post second world war era. As a result, there is a need to redefine the goals of plastic surgery training in the present times so that the plastic surgeon is "future ready" to meet the needs of society and the market forces.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

The author has reviewed the currently available literature on plastic surgery training from India and the western countries. An attempt has been made to study opinions from the teachers and the trainees. The modules currently available in India and abroad have been analyzed and a suggestion has been made for drafting training programs that would meet the demands of the society as well as prepare the resident both for the aesthetic and reconstructive practice.

CONCLUSIONS

The plastic surgery training needs to be more vibrant and in tune with the changing times. While maintaining its core nature, the current predominantly reconstructive modules need to incorporate the aesthetic content. The evaluation should be both knowledge and competence based. The teachers need to be educated in the various teaching methods that are more applicable to grown up residents. There is a need to find ways to attract talented people in the academic plastic surgery.

The impact of subspecialization on postgraduate medical education in neurosurgery

Medical subspecialization is a response to rapidly expanding technology and knowledge. Although beneficial to patient care, it poses a challenge to the current infrastructure of resident education. This article analyzes the advent of subspecialization, the current template of postgraduate neurosurgical education, the impact of subspecialization on postgraduate neurosurgical education, and, finally, suggests strategies to optimize professional education in the face of an increasingly subspecialized field.

An integrated environment for plastic surgery support: building virtual patients, simulating interventions, and supporting intraoperative decisions

In the last decade a number of environments for Computer Supported Plastic Surgery have been presented. Nevertheless, an overall approach for training and intraoperative support is still missing or has not been widely exploited yet. We developed a fully integrated system which allows surgical simulation, planning, and support for computer-guided plastic surgery procedures starting from image acquisition to final intraoperative assistance. The system also provides the user with a radiological workstation able to analyse patient medical images and case studies, with advanced bidimensional and three dimensional image processing functionalities. We intend to demonstrate that such a platform can be built at an affordable cost. The radiological workstation is capable of supporting radiologists and surgeons in real patient case studies and the simulation workstation may be adopted by plastic surgeons in teaching and training of complex surgical planning. Moreover, results of simulation can be used in the operating room with a relatively high benefit in terms of improved accuracy, reduction of surgical risks, and decrease in training costs.