Plastic surgery education in the COVID-19 pandemic: hindrance or opportunity?

Abstract

The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic and the ensuing public health response have posed challenges to the traditional medical education model. The urgent need to steward scarce resources and maintain social distancing has led to the postponement of elective surgeries and the downsizing of inpatient care teams. This has significantly impacted medical training at every level. For plastic surgery residents, the reduction of hands-on surgical training is particularly pertinent given the increasing levels of sophistication of plastic surgeries in the past decade and the high clinical volume of elective procedures. Knock-on impact on training competencies and progression remains to be seen, but a review acknowledged by the General Medical Council shows a decline in skills in 6–18 months [1]. As for medical students, canceled electives may have denied students insight, interest and mentorship in the field [2] [3], which is aggravated by the limited inclusion of plastic surgery in the medical curriculum.