title: [Postgraduate training and specialty certification systems in pediatric surgery in Japan].
abstract: Board-certified pediatric surgeons and instructors less than 65 years old in Japan total 244 and 211, respectively. Board-certified general surgeons wishing to become board-certified pediatric surgeons must be able to perform an additional 150 pediatric surgical procedures. In addition, board-certified pediatric surgeons wishing to maintain board certification must perform 100 pediatric surgeries in each 5-year period. While the number of children is decreasing gradually, people living in both metropolitan and rural areas require increasing numbers of pediatricians and pediatric surgeons, necessitating a reform of the system for pediatric emergent care. Because of the low number of pediatric surgeries performed, young pediatric surgeons need to share surgical opportunities. Board-certified instructors should discuss how to teach young pediatric surgeons in university and children's hospitals, dispatch them to suburban and rural clinical hospitals, and help them maintain a good quality of life in busy hospitals. Postgraduate training and specialty certification systems in pediatric surgery for the near future are described.
authors.affiliation: Department of Pediatric Surgery, University of Tokyo, Tokyo, Japan.
authors.forename: Tadashi
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Iwanaka
mesh_terms: D002568:Certification; D004501:Education, Medical; D004503:Education, Medical, Graduate; D013502:General Surgery / Q000193:education*; D006801:Humans; D007564:Japan; D008875:Middle Aged; D010372:Pediatrics / Q000193:education*; D013038:Specialization; D000078329:Workforce