Welcome to another episode of our Surgical Crossroads series with hosts Gregory Ekatah and Sadie Khwaja. Today we explore a career in plastic surgery.
Jeremy Rodriguez is a consultant plastic surgeon at Stoke Mandeville Hospital in Buckinghamshire and an Associate Professor at Warwick Clinical Trials Unit. He describes how he “stumbled across” plastics as a specialty and is fascinated by the diversity and complexity of procedures. During his training he travelled and worked extensively, which enriched and challenged his clinical practice. His role is split between clinical work and his research on psychometrics: improving and using patient-reported outcome measures (PROMs). He reflects on the potential for conflict between these two roles and stresses the importance of having a system in place in order to deliver on research commitments.
Sarah Chadwick is a plastics specialty trainee in the North West deanery. She trained at Sheffield University School of Medicine and qualified in 2004. She originally wanted to be a paediatric surgeon, but preferred the variety of plastics and having the option to treat patients from ‘cradle to grave’. Sarah took a slightly longer training pathway after taking time out to have children and undertake a PhD, however she has found plastics as a specialty to be flexible and supportive of less than full time training. Sarah is hoping to complete her training towards the end of 2022 and is currently applying for fellowships. She is interested in pursuing a career in microsurgery, particularly breast and lower limb reconstruction.
Our medical student is Sakiinah Mungroo, a recent graduate from the University of Manchester. She is originally from Mauritius and came to the UK to study Medicine on a full scholarship. Her passion for plastic surgery stemmed from her own personal experiences; in 2013, she had severe burn injuries that required grafting. This inspired her to undertake a career in that specialty, with a particular interest in burns care, to make a difference in the lives of burns patients. Sakina is an active junior member of BAPRAS and attends the conferences every year. She has also presented at national and international conferences and founded the Plastic Surgery Society at the University of Manchester. She will be starting her foundation year training at the Royal Liverpool University Hospital.
Plastics is a particularly competitive specialty so taking a similar approach to Sakina is recommended to boost your CV. You can find a wealth of trainee resources by joining the Plastic Surgery Trainees Association (PLASTA), https://www.plasta.org
Our guests all display the typical characteristics of successful plastic surgeons – tenacity, resilience, motivation and enthusiasm. They also highlight the diverse thinking that is key in a field that often has new bespoke problems and patients that need bespoke solutions.
Contact Information
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This show is brought to you by the RCSEd. Follow us on Twitter, Facebook, Linkedin and Instagram. Hosted by Greg Ekatah, Sesi Hotonu and Sadie Khwaja produced and directed by Heather Pownall of Heather's Media Hub Ltd.