β Scribed by G. Matton
No coin nor oath required. For personal study only.
Plastic Surgery has been a recognized surgical specialty in Belgium since 1955. There are now 92 plastic surgeons practising in Belgium which has a population of 10000000 people.
Medical studies last 7 years. They consist of 3 "candidate" years and 4 "doctorate" years. They are open to everyone who holds a Secondary High School diploma. Examinations especially in the first years are highly selective and drastically trim down the number of students. Plastic Surgery is taught to the "doctorate" students either as an independent course with examination, or as part of the General Surgery course.
Postgraduate training in Plastic Surgery lasts 6 years -3 years of basic training and 3 years of Plastic Surgery. The basic training consists mostly of General Surgery, but limited periods of rotations in subspecialties are allowed. The residency in Plastic Surgery must be spent in a polyvalent Department of Plastic Surgery. There are 7 Departments of Plastic Surgery recognized by the Ministry of Health to provide this plastic surgical training -6 within University Hospitals, 1 in a non-university hospital. During the 6 years of specialisation, a maximum of I year can be spent in another EEC country.
Certification as a plastic surgeon is granted by the Minister of Health. Two Certification Commissions (one for the Flemish speaking candidates, one for the French speaking candidates), whose members are plastic surgeons appointed by the Minister of Health, supervise and review each candidate's training. Before starting a postgraduate training in Plastic Surgery, the candidate must submit for approval the training program to the Certification Commission. Yearly, a list of operations, performed or assisted, must be submitted to the Commission, together with a list of scientific activities and number of days "on call" for emergencies. At the end of the training, the Certification Commission decides -upon advice of the Chief of the Plastic Surgery Resi-
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