For the Future of Pediatric Surgery : Our Experience in Pre-and Postgraduate Education Program

Abstract

Pediatric surgeons who are engaged in treating children with congenital and acquired surgical illnesses and surgical trauma are not regarded as fully established specialists in Japan, and should be keen to found a solid background in the society. Although we have a well-organized board system for specialties in pediatric surgery, ongoing rapid innovation in medical education programs make it difficult for undergraduate students and residents to learn about pediatric surgery because learning the basic clinical competence required for all physicians is emphasized by rounding only the core subjects during training. Based upon our innovative experience, we propose that pediatric surgeons should take part in medical education : In undergraduate education, clinical clerkship in pediatric surgery and involvement in pediatric practice in postgraduate training programs. It should be emphasized that the education program would reflect the basic clinical competence required for practice in the field of pediatric surgery and should include clear objectives, strategy and evaluation. As a result, they would not only be interested in practicing pediatric surgery but also get acquainted with its importance in pediatric practice and surgical speciality. Thus, more students and postgraduates would become interested in the field, understand its practice and possibly become candidates for future specialists. We would also like to emphasize that the evolution of pediatric surgery can be achieved through being stimulated by those of other related fields, and involvement in medical education would make it easy to access those evolutions.