- Email: [email protected]
Undergraduate plastic surgery: Is extracurricular education enough?
Journal of Plastic, Reconstructive & Aesthetic Surgery (2010) 63, e133
CORRESPONDENCE AND COMMUNICATION
Undergraduate plastic surgery: Is extracurricular education enough? Dear Professor Burd, There has been much discussion in the literature regarding if there is a place for plastic surgery in the undergraduate curriculum. As outlined by Wade et al.,1 many undergraduates are in favour of having plastic surgery teaching even though many may not necessarily want to pursue a career in the Specialty. There are opportunities for those undergraduates interested in plastic surgery to pursue their interest with awards for electives and original research from charities such as the Healing Foundation but these rely on students already having a relative understanding of plastic surgery. The portrayal of plastic surgery in the media is frequently that of purely elective cosmetic operations and this is often the understanding that undergraduates have of the Specialty until they do further research and discover the main workload carried out by a plastic surgeon. There has recently been development of careers days designed for undergraduates interested in plastic and reconstructive surgery aiming to educate on the different subspecialties encompassed in the Specialty. A careers in plastic surgery day has been held at the Royal College of Surgeons in London with talks from surgeons in different subspecialties and on careers in the profession, in addition to surgical skills practical sessions under the supervision of trainees in the profession. The second UPRAS (Undergraduate Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery) conference held at the Royal Society of Medicine in London was heavily oversubscribed and similarly to the Royal College of Surgeons, event provided many talks on different areas of plastic surgery as well as an opportunity to learn and practice surgical skills. In addition there was the opportunity for students to present cases and participate in a poster competition. Conferences such as these provide the ideal opportunity for
undergraduates to discover more about what is covered in the realm of plastic surgery and also gain valuable advice regarding careers. Although these conferences give students a good insight into the Specialty, it is likely that students who attend are interested in plastic surgery to begin with. This leaves a number of students who may potentially have an interest in plastic surgery, but have misconceptions of what a career in the Specialty entails, preventing them from considering careers in the Specialty. Probably more significant is the potential for many students to not fully comprehend what the role of a plastic surgeon is in the multidisciplinary team and not know when and when not to refer to the plastic surgeon. Although some universities offer possibilities to pursue special study modules in the area of plastic surgery and the existence of extracurricular conferences for undergraduates, consideration should still be given to educating all students on the role and responsibilities of the plastic surgeon not only to enable them to consider pursuing a career in the Specialty, but also so they have awareness of the role of plastic surgeons in order to provide continuity of care for patients by appropriate referrals and effective multidisciplinary communication.
Conflict of interest None.
Reference 1. Wade RG, Moses MA, Henderson J. Teaching plastic surgery to undergraduates. J Plast Reconstr Aesthet Surg 2009 Feb;62:267.
Sharief Aboelmagd Univeristy of East Anglia, Norfolk and Norwich University Hospital, Norwich NR4 7UY, UK E-mail address: [email protected]
1748-6815/$ - see front matter ª 2009 British Association of Plastic, Reconstructive and Aesthetic Surgeons. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved. doi:10.1016/j.bjps.2009.03.005
CORRESPONDENCE AND COMMUNICATION
Undergraduate plastic surgery: Is extracurricular education enough? Dear Professor Burd, There has been much discussion in the literature regarding if there is a place for plastic surgery in the undergraduate curriculum. As outlined by Wade et al.,1 many undergraduates are in favour of having plastic surgery teaching even though many may not necessarily want to pursue a career in the Specialty. There are opportunities for those undergraduates interested in plastic surgery to pursue their interest with awards for electives and original research from charities such as the Healing Foundation but these rely on students already having a relative understanding of plastic surgery. The portrayal of plastic surgery in the media is frequently that of purely elective cosmetic operations and this is often the understanding that undergraduates have of the Specialty until they do further research and discover the main workload carried out by a plastic surgeon. There has recently been development of careers days designed for undergraduates interested in plastic and reconstructive surgery aiming to educate on the different subspecialties encompassed in the Specialty. A careers in plastic surgery day has been held at the Royal College of Surgeons in London with talks from surgeons in different subspecialties and on careers in the profession, in addition to surgical skills practical sessions under the supervision of trainees in the profession. The second UPRAS (Undergraduate Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery) conference held at the Royal Society of Medicine in London was heavily oversubscribed and similarly to the Royal College of Surgeons, event provided many talks on different areas of plastic surgery as well as an opportunity to learn and practice surgical skills. In addition there was the opportunity for students to present cases and participate in a poster competition. Conferences such as these provide the ideal opportunity for
undergraduates to discover more about what is covered in the realm of plastic surgery and also gain valuable advice regarding careers. Although these conferences give students a good insight into the Specialty, it is likely that students who attend are interested in plastic surgery to begin with. This leaves a number of students who may potentially have an interest in plastic surgery, but have misconceptions of what a career in the Specialty entails, preventing them from considering careers in the Specialty. Probably more significant is the potential for many students to not fully comprehend what the role of a plastic surgeon is in the multidisciplinary team and not know when and when not to refer to the plastic surgeon. Although some universities offer possibilities to pursue special study modules in the area of plastic surgery and the existence of extracurricular conferences for undergraduates, consideration should still be given to educating all students on the role and responsibilities of the plastic surgeon not only to enable them to consider pursuing a career in the Specialty, but also so they have awareness of the role of plastic surgeons in order to provide continuity of care for patients by appropriate referrals and effective multidisciplinary communication.
Conflict of interest None.
Reference 1. Wade RG, Moses MA, Henderson J. Teaching plastic surgery to undergraduates. J Plast Reconstr Aesthet Surg 2009 Feb;62:267.
Sharief Aboelmagd Univeristy of East Anglia, Norfolk and Norwich University Hospital, Norwich NR4 7UY, UK E-mail address: [email protected]
1748-6815/$ - see front matter ª 2009 British Association of Plastic, Reconstructive and Aesthetic Surgeons. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved. doi:10.1016/j.bjps.2009.03.005