Medical & Clinical Reviews

Description

Under the undergraduate program of Hong Kong, students must go to different hospital rotations throughout the last three years of study, known as clinical clerkships. For example, the clinical clerkship at the Chinese University of Hong Kong (CUHK) spans over two phases: Junior clerkship (year 4) and senior clerkship (year 6). Regarding surgical exposure, medical students are assigned to three surgical modules and have a twelve-week teaching block in year 4. They are required to attend lectures, bed-side tutorials, and teaching sessions during ward rounds, and operating sessions during this rotation. Students have a twenty-week teaching block in the senior surgical clerkship in which they rotate in general surgery and different surgical subspecialties, including plastic and reconstructive surgery. They are encouraged to get a closer involvement in surgical ward activities and even practice some practical skills under supervision. In Shanghai, clinical clerkships occur in the third and fourth year. The teaching model mainly consists of lectures and bed-side tutorials. Students have little involvement in ward activities apart from history taking. However, their internship occurs in the final year of undergraduate study. For surgery, they must rotate for three months, wherein they participate in daily surgical ward activities. They are also allowed to join surgical operations as either observers or participants.

Elective Courses in Plastic Surgery for Medical Students

During this period, the compulsory rotation to various surgical specialties does not include plastic and reconstruction surgery. Finally, some medical schools in Shanghai offer elective courses in plastic surgery for medical students. It is an introductory course that aims to provide early exposure to students who are interested in plastic surgery. Hong Kong and Shanghai have different paths regarding residency training in plastic surgery. In Hong Kong, medical graduates will have to complete a year of supervised practice known as house man’s hip. After completing the houseman year, they can practice as general practitioners with full registration and apply for a training post in the approved hospitals to be eligible for basic surgical training. Trainees will have at least two years of general surgical and subspecialty training under the basic surgical training program. They are also required to register with one of the four Surgical Colleges of Hong Kong and the Hong Kong Intercollegiate Board of Surgical Colleges (HKICBSC) during this period.

Rotation of Various Plastic Subspecialties

As they complete the basic surgical training, they need to pass the HKICBSC membership examination before entering higher surgical training. They must obtain an ordinary member of the College of Surgeons of Hong Kong (CSHK) and apply for a higher surgical training post from the approved hospitals. Under the higher surgical training program, trainees of the plastic specialty have four years of training duration. This training includes the rotation of various plastic subspecialties. Once they complete four years of training, they can apply for the fellowship examination held by the CSHK to become fellows. In Shanghai, there is more than one pathway for a medical graduate to become a plastic surgeon. The most common pathway is to obtain a three-year postgraduate master's degree before applying for a full-time job in hospitals. There are two types of master's degrees, professional and academic degrees. Professional-Master-Degree (PMD) students spend most of their time in clinical work without much academic participation. They also enroll in the three-year Standardized Residency Training (SRT) program, the basic residency training in China