The instructional value of international surgical volunteerism from a resident's perspective

The aim of this article is to document the experience of the author who volunteered as a resident for 6 months at a districtlevel hospital in central Kenya. Peculiarities emerging from the report are: specificity of the experience to plastic reconstructive surgery; highly complex reconstructive procedures performed under direct supervision of a qualified mentor; exposure to diverse approaches through collaboration with different volunteer plastic surgeons; enhancement of long-term surveillance; and opportunity to expand surgical knowledge outside one's field of specialty. The humanitarian setting allows maximal exposure and learning and can play a significant role in the resident's education.