Global Standardization of Surgical Training

Excerpt

The continuing requirement of highly skilled surgeons relies on a good surgical training system. It is important that the global development of surgical training programs be set up to have standardized education and training to produce competent and skilled surgeons globally. To standardize surgical education first, it is imperative to identify the factors that need improvement in other countries in comparison to the US training system. In order to achieve this objective, it is important to focus on a developing country’s training system to evaluate the changes required. Since many Indian physicians immigrate to the USA seeking to practice medicine, India was chosen to be the focus of a detailed evaluation from different perspectives. For evaluating the Indian surgical training system critically from different perspectives, it was important to involve the institutions, staff, as well as the residents. On-site observations and surveys of the staff and the residents were planned. The survey was designed to examine the surgical education and training of residents, to delineate the current situation, and to discuss the possible reform and future development of surgical training systems, in order to put forward solutions and countermeasures. The comparison of the results was made to the US training system as a reference to achieve a level of parity globally, thus standardizing the surgical education and training in India. …