Curriculum Development for Postgraduate Surgical Training

Ahn, Duck Sun

Abstract

Surgery is a science, originating from treatment methodology. It is an essential part of medicine, which treats various diseases. In the past, barbers, upon the request of physicians, were the ones who performed surgery. However, the evolution of surgery into science created the surgeon as a doctor, and not as a technician. Changes and developments in the field of medicine also lead to the creation of different branches within the surgical field. To meet current socioeconomic and educational changes, residency training in surgery must become more efficient. Traditional training in general surgery must be tailored to the needs of individual surgical subspecialties. Surgical residency training can be classified into three different categories; independent, integrated and one discipline tracks are the most commonly implemented types of surgical education. In this paper, the pros and cons of each type of educational modality are discussed and presented.