Creation, Evaluation, and Continuing Assurance of Excellence of the Certified Surgical Specialist

Abstract

A position paper on the subject of certified surgical specialists was published in 1966 under the direction of Professor Charles Wells of Liverpool, England. President John Terblanche of the International Federation of Surgical Colleges brought together leaders in surgical education from four nations (Australia, Japan, South Africa, United States) to update current "state-of-the art" views. Presentations were made at the 38th Congress of the International Society of Surgery, August 18, 1999 in Vienna, Austria. After careful review of the four presentations, it was clear that surgeons all over the world have made great improvements in the many facets of surgical education. Yet the advances remain spotty, with gaps noted when viewed from an international perspective.

Can Private, Non-University-Affiliated Cardiothoracic Training Programs Provide Sufficient Surgical Experience in Cardiac Tumors?

“…6 Recently, the importance of skills training and quality performance in surgical education to ensure competency has been strongly emphasized. 7,8 Cardiothoracic surgeons are fortunate to be provided a variety of educational opportunities to remain current and learn new or innovative techniques. Traditional methods of postgraduate continuing education such as meetings, journals, and lectures have been augmented by industry and Academic Medical Center simulator training, institutional site visit programs that provide hands-on device or technical instruction, and Web-based instructional programs.…”

Academic Surgeon — Every Surgeon Should Aspire To Be!

“…An academic surgeon is not simply involved in a teaching programme but is constantly evaluating the programme, updating it and improving it. Though he/she may pay more and more attention to examination and certification issues of trainees, he/she is also fully aware that surgical training does not end with the awarding of the diploma or the degree; improvements in many facets of surgical education have been made worldwide, but many gaps remain [10]. Moreover, besides cognitive knowledge, clinical thinking and surgical judgement, there are other intangible qualities that are difficult to evaluate by the methods currently available [11].…”

Surgical Education in the Third Millennium

“…The result was that surgeons pay more and more attention to certification and recertification issues of trainees, being aware that surgical training does not end with the awarding of the diploma; improvements in many facets of surgical education have been made worldwide, but many gaps remain. 2 The problem is still open even in countries that have a long-lasting tradition in surgical education. For example, it has been recognized that although the surgical residency system in the United States represents a very good model of education, there are other aspects of competence that are difficult to evaluate.…”