Surgical training needs an upgrade

The surgeons of the future face serious challenges. A major concern is the reduction in surgical training time. For example, the European Working Time Directive has reduced surgical training time by two thirds. The strong response from senior surgeons in the United States to the reduction in surgical training time to just over 80 hours a week (even though this is still nearly twice the European quota) reflects the gravity of the situation. In the United Kingdom, this reduction in training time is exacerbated by the extra foundation year after graduation, which has resulted in an additional year before entering surgical training. Another concern is the increasing specialisation of surgical training, which is said to have resulted in surgeons with a narrower range of skills.

In the face of these challenges, I think that advancements in training are necessary to produce safer doctors with better technique and teamwork skills. Three