Plastic Surgery Fellowship at Nippon Medical School Hospital: An Integrative Approach to Modern Plastic Surgery Education

Abstract

Summary: Plastic surgery requires extensive wide-ranging surgical knowledge, special technical dexterity, and personal skills in order to achieve improved quality of life and satisfying outcomes for patients. For decades, international plastic surgery fellowship programs have offered opportunities to enhance the subspecialty training of young plastic surgeons abroad and promote international exchange of information in the field of plastic surgery. However, concerns around enrolling in a nontraditional educational strategy at the postgraduate level have restricted young plastic surgery residents from pursuing comprehensive training opportunities overseas. Therefore, we present a personal experience of a distinct established international fellowship program in plastic, reconstructive, and aesthetic surgery at Nippon Medical School Hospital, Japan, as an example. This institution has adopted the use of highly skilled surgical techniques, providing basic research education along with the teaching of essential personal skills needed in modern plastic surgery. As a mean to promote international educational collaboration in plastic surgery, we discussed the modern plastic surgery educational strategies worldwide that participate in developing a successful plastic surgeon’s career.

The Borromean Rings of Plastic Surgery: Science, Art, and Skill

“…Recently, some courses have focused on fundamental plastic surgery skills required to perform key index operating procedures for entry into higher specialist surgical training 2 . There are also international fellowship programs teaching the essential personal skills needed in modern plastic surgery 3 . Without established personal surgical skills, it is very difficult to achieve an improved quality of life and satisfying outcomes for patients.…”

“…2 There are also international fellowship programs teaching the essential personal skills needed in modern plastic surgery. 3 Without established personal surgical skills, it is very difficult to achieve an improved quality of life and satisfying outcomes for patients. Thereafter, surgical skill comprises the third Borromean ring.…”