Clinical Fellowship: A Surgeon’s Odyssey

Abstract

The efficacy of clinical fellowships to produce experts in any focused surgical sub-speciality is undeniable. To substantiate and emphasize the importance of clinical fellowships, we conducted a survey among twenty specialist surgeons who completed their clinical fellowships in various surgical sub-specialities. We analysed the correlation between training related parameters with that of their performance after the fellowship. When surgeons strongly agreed that their fellowship training wascomprehensive, their post-fellowship confidence as an expert increased. When they were satisfied that they developed the desired diagnostic and surgical skills during their fellowship, they became confident as an expert, were competent in practice, and able to do more sub-speciality related procedures after the fellowship; in addition, they became able clinical researchers. Therefore, it is with no doubt that clinical fellowships can be deemed as an integral part of sub-speciality training.