Abstract
Background Surgical trainees worldwide have been thrust into a period of uncertainty, with respect
to the implications COVID-19 pandemic will have on their roles, training, and future
career prospects. It is currently unclear how plastic surgery trainees are being affected
by COVID-19. This study examined the experience of plastic surgery trainees in Canada,
the UK, and Australia to determine trainee roles during the early COVID-19 emergency
response and how training changed during this time.
Methods A cross-sectional survey-based study was designed for plastic surgery trainees in
the UK, Canada and Australia. In total, 110 trainees responded to the survey. Statistical
tests were conducted to determine differences in responses, based on year of training
and country of residence.
Results In total, 9.7% (10/103) of respondents reported being deployed to cover another service.
There was a significant difference between redeployment based on country (p = 0.001). Within the UK group, 28.9% of respondents were redeployed. For trainees
not deployed, 95.5% (85/89) reported that there has been a reduction in operative
volume. Ninety-seven (94.1%) respondents reported that there were ongoing teaching
activities offered by their program. The majority of trainees (66.4%) were concerned
about their training. There was a significant difference between overall concern and
country (p < 0.05).
Conclusion In these unprecedented times, training programs in plastic surgery should be aware
of the major impact that COVID-19 has had on trainees and will have on their training.
The majority of plastic surgery trainees have experienced a reduction in surgical
exposure but have maintained some form of regular teaching.
Keywords
plastic surgery training - COVID-19 - work restrictions - lockdown
