Surgical Practice and Fellowship Training

ABSTRACT

Although the subspecialization of surgical practice and fellowship training have progressed well in most of the university hospitals in Korea, no apparent supervision system has yet been activated. There have recently been active debates and discussions between society members on the issue of a certification for fellowship training, which ultimately prompted the Korean Surgical Society to prepare appropriate measures. In order to facilitate the process of establishing ideal measures, in our unique circumstance of surgical practice, I can suggest some of my personal opinions. First of all, I recommend that the Korean Surgical Society and its all member to strive against government interference and achieve an attending system for surgical practice and to obtain reasonable insurance reimbursement for surgeons' work, which are all prerequisites for both general and subspecialty surgical practices. Rigorous criteria for approval and credentialing of a fellowship training program should be established, whether certification will be given or not. Certification should be offered only when there is agreement between all the members of subspecialty boards and the association of practicing surgeons. All measures should be taken so as not to compromise surgical residency training by subspecialty fellowship. As subspecialization progresses, the specialty of general surgery also needs to be redefined. A discreet long-range plan of the surgical work force should be done to keep the proper number of both generalist- general surgeons and subspecialist-general surgeons. In order to take the initiative for the moderation of the interests between different subspecialty boards, and to establish a structured fellowship training program, the Korean Surgical Society should reinforce its administrative functions.