Anglo-French Comparison Study of Plastic Surgery Teaching

Plastic surgery involves a wide range of techniques that incorporate medical, surgical, ethical and basic science elements. All of these are areas of a medical undergraduate's curriculum, yet it is not taught in the UK. Other countries in Europe do however teach plastic surgery in their undergraduate courses.

The study had three broad aims: to assess the Welsh student body's demand for plastic surgery teaching; to assess French student body's perception of plastic surgery teaching; and to assess what students understand by the term ‘plastic surgery’.

Medical students in Wales (n=64) and France (n=46) were invited to respond to an online poll. Results of the poll were then compared. Translation was carried out by a bilingual student.

A total of 80% of the French respondents felt that the teaching of plastic surgery in the curriculum was of benefit, whereas 97% of the Welsh respondents felt it would be of benefit. Only 28% of the medical students from Wales knew the wide range of roles carried out by a plastic surgeon, in comparison to 98% of the French medical students.

There is a worrying lack of understanding of the role and potential benefit of incorporating plastic surgery in the undergraduate curriculum, partly affected by the media and public conception of what plastic surgery actually involves. Further exploration of whether demand for plastic surgery teaching is echoed by the students in medical schools across the UK is needed.