The life of a trainee plastic surgeon is extremely varied. Generally, you will be involved in four to five operating session per week, in addition to one or two outpatient clinics.
You will also complete ward visits to monitor the progress of patients. As you develop,your daily role will also involve increasing amounts of administration, management and teaching.
The most common procedures that trainees will be involved in are hand operations, skin cancer procedures, breast reconstruction, head and neck reconstruction, treatment for cleft lip and palate, and burns surgery. Due to the varying nature of these operations, trainees will be expected to work effectively with other surgeons and healthcare professionals within the hospital.
Emergency work is another core part of daily life and much of a trainee’s workload will involve dealing with urgent cases. You will take part in an on-call rota and could be called upon to work on patients with burns or severe hand, facial and lower limb injuries.
The trainee will usually undertake training at a number of units on a rotational basis to gain exposure to different needs in different areas. For instance, a trainee based in the Midlands, could work in hospitals in Sheffield, Nottingham and Leicester during their training.