[Quality of surgical continuing education in plastic surgery in Germany].
OBJECTIVE
Medical profession lost continuously attractiveness due to various reasons (insufficient training, irregular working time, decreasing income) in the last years. This does notably apply to surgical disciplines. In a survey should be clarified to what extent this dissatisfaction may be the case for residents and young specialists in plastic surgery.


METHODS
A questionnaire was sent to all associated members of the "Vereinigung der Deutschen Plastischen Chirurgen (VDPC)" and was published in the communication journal of the VDPC. The questionnaire was sent back by 91 surgical residents or newly specialists (about 19 % of all).


RESULTS
A well structured residency program existed for 47 %. 40 % of the residents were satisfied with the teaching assistance by their clinical teachers in the OR, whereas the fewest surgical procedures were done in the field of aesthetic surgery (n = 7). At least once per year it was possible for 80 % to take part in seminars or congresses. Therefore 45 % had to take holyday. For 44 % no financial support was paid. As perspective 30 % aim a career advancement in their hospitals and 18 % aim a private practice as plastic surgeon.


CONCLUSIONS
To some extent training structures in plastic surgery are not well established. An urgent challenge should be to develop improvements in the continuing education in plastic surgery. This includes an increase in internal training, an organised rotation of residents between different hospitals, and structured mentoring of the residents.
Zimmermann
A
A
Abteilung für Plastische und Wiederherstellungschirurgie, Klinikum rechts der Isar, Technische Universität München.
Giunta
R E
RE
D005858:Germany; D006801:Humans; D007396:Internship and Residency / Q000592:standards*; D013518:Surgery, Plastic / Q000193:education*; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires