How has your surgical training impacted you as a surgeon? In what way(s) do you think that this influences your role as a surgical educator? Please use this thread to share your thoughts with the other surgical trainees on the programme. Remember to comment on others' posts.
Now that you have all had the opportunity to watch Mr Jose's webinar and to consider the evolution of surgical training, please share your own thoughts on how your surgical training has impacted your role as a surgeon and a surgical educator.
Hi,
It was a great opportunity to listen to Mr. Jose talking about the evolution of surgical training in general and in the Western world and the UK in particular. It gave some valuable insights as to the shift of training from the more or less whims-based apprenticeship model where a trainee's future was determined by the trainer - for good or bad; to a more experiential type of learning generated and nurtured by repeated cycles of reflection and readjustment.
Addressing the question of how surgical training impacted my role as a surgical educator and a surgeon, I admire the enormous influence that my surgical seniors to this date had on my overall development, right from the early days of my training. From knot tying and suturing, simple dissection of cysts and swellings, demonstration of physical signs, concepts of surgical physiology, wound healing, critical care, and finally into complex surgical procedures, the list goes on. The training was not limited to surgery as they also demonstrated nonoperative technical skills and communication, how to do posters and presentations, and how to conduct teaching sessions in surgery. Looking back it had been a mixture of good and bad experiences thrown at me, but their overall effect had been to inspire me to become a surgical trainer myself and carry forward the goodness.
I am equally eager to hear about your individual journies and experiences. Thank you
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Mr Jose's talk was most interesting as I have not previously thought about the origins of surgical training especially not as far back as the 1700s.
It does still feel like our training is very much based on the apprenticeship model and our medical school was our grounding phase of our careers. It is easy for us to think that our role as a surgeon is very much a practical job however the majority of our weeks are not spent in the operating theatre. As I progress through my training I learn more that being a surgeon is equally about making the decisions about who to operate on and why (more in the elective setting than in trauma per se) but that not all patients would benefit from our interventions.
As Sandeep has mentioned above - our surgical trainers offer us much more than the practical aspect of surgery including those professional and communication skills as well as research and audit opportunities too. So much of our role is about imparting our knowledge and experiences onto more junior colleagues and students and the more senior I become the more I realise which bits of advice was most useful to me at varying stages.
Hi everyone,
I have listened to Mr Jose, and it was very insightful as I really didn't have much idea about the history of surgery, and it was very interesting to actually know that it all started that early. Also, it was really interesting how the progression of training programmes in the UK has evolved and changed over the years and it actually really shows how difficult it is to try deliver training in best possible effective way.
Answering your question on how my surgical training impacted me as a surgeon. In my experience as a surgeon, working in the UK has brought my attention many aspects to be honest. However, there are two main standing points for me personally I believe. One of them I've come to recognize that a surgeon's responsibilities extend far beyond the operating room as my colleagues mentioned in the discussion above. The role demands proficiency in numerous non-clinical areas, including teaching, audit, Quality Improvement Projects (QIPs), journal clubs, and participation in Multidisciplinary Team Meetings (MDTs). These aspects were an entirely new experience initially and it really takes years of practice and education as operating in order to be able to do these effectively It is obvious that one cannot excel as a consultant without a profound understanding of these supplementary tasks.
Secondly, I have gained a deeper understanding of the psychological effect especially during surgical training can have. The demanding nature during training underscores the vital need for regular time off to relax and recharge. I think balancing the physical and emotional challenges of surgery is really important and cannot be overlooked.