The specialty of plastic and reconstructive surgery is that branch of surgery concerned with the restoration of normal form and function. I prefer the term, 'Reconstructive' surgery, as it leans away from the mainstream trend of nip tucks, face lifts, and boob jobs, though these are justified.
It is a varied specialty involving adults and children, and encompassing a wide range of conditions affecting different parts of the body. Implicit in the wide ranging nature of the specialty is the requirement that a Consultant in Plastic Surgery demonstrates a high level of skill, experience, and judgement in carrying out all the roles that his/her job entails.
The curriculum and training programmes are designed to produce surgeons competent to take up such Consultant appointments in the UK. The curriculum is designed to provide trainees in the specialty of Plastic Surgery with a structured training programme that will enable them to progress from the introductory stages of training through to the level required of a surgeon working independently as a Consultant in the NHS.
FUTURE TRENDS
There are approximately 300 Consultants in the UK, which translates into 1:205,000 population. To achieve the recommendation made by the Senate of Surgery of 1 Consultant per 100,000 population for the UK and to allow a Consultant delivered service, a doubling of Consultant numbers to 600 will be required.
Over the coming months, the focus of work at the Joint Committee on Surgical Training (JCST) will be updating the Plastic Surgery curricula (last version updated in 2010 by Vivian Lees, SAC chair). I wait in anticipation for what the new curriculum will propose for trainees in Plastic Surgery.
No comments:
Post a Comment