Recent Canadian plastic surgery graduates: are they prepared for the real world?

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the correlation between plastic surgery education received through residency in Canadian programs and perceived preparedness for independent clinical practice among recently graduated plastic surgeons.

All practicing plastic surgeons having graduated from a Canadian program between 1996 and 2006 were surveyed. An itemized Web-based questionnaire was designed and distributed by e-mail with the assistance of all program directors.

Eighty (52 percent) of the 155 recent graduates from Canadian plastic surgery programs with valid contact information responded to the survey. The majority of respondents were satisfied with most aspects of their training. Only 22 percent of respondents had done part of their training in a foreign center, but all of them agreed that it was beneficial to their training. Clinical research was encouraged in 92 percent of the respondents' programs, but dedicated time was only allocated in 29 percent of these. At the beginning of their practice, the majority of respondents felt comfortable or very comfortable in all subspecialties with the exception of pediatric plastic surgery and ancillary procedures.

The authors' results describe the tendencies in type and duration of the training that Canadian graduates had over the last 10 years. The majority of respondents were satisfied with most aspects of their residency programs and felt comfortable practicing different subspecialties early in their careers. Expectations during residency and the resources made available to meet these expectations are also revealed. This study will help improve residency programs by identifying existing gaps in the preparedness of surgeons.