Medical school is a great mystery to the uninitiated. I’m quite accustomed to my patients and sometimes even my friends and family asking questions about how exactly med school works and what happens after it before you start practicing medicine, including the differences between fellowships, internships and residencies. Today, I wanted to take an opportunity to explain the value of post-residency fellowships for cosmetic surgeons and how they benefit not only the doctors themselves but also their patients.
Advanced Education
Fellowship programs like the one I completed with the American Academy of Cosmetic Surgery are valuable opportunities for surgeons to advance their educations by completing comprehensive training programs led by the absolute top practitioners in the field. Beyond the broad and rich exposure to more general surgery practices mastered in residency programs, surgeons who complete fellowships are exposed to the highest level of mastery of the finer points of cosmetic surgery techniques while learning from the brightest surgical minds from across the county.
Greater Clinical Experience
Hands-on training in clinical skills provided in fellowship programs give cosmetic surgeons unique and penetrating insights into the precision techniques required to create the most beautiful outcomes. There is no substitute for this type of experience, and those physicians who complete a fellowship know that this extended clinical practice serves them well each time they are introduced to a new patient with vastly different anatomical and lifestyle considerations than the one before.
Learning from Masters and Peers
Finally, fellowship training provides surgeons the opportunity to interact with and learn from not only the most distinguished master surgeons in the field but also from an array of outstanding peers selected from across the country. The combination of masterful leadership and peer idea exchange creates well-rounded cosmetic surgeons with extensive expertise.
Author: Dr. Joseph Castellano
Dr. Joseph Castellano is a native Floridian who grew up in the Tampa Bay area. After medical school and residency, Dr. Castellano returned home and has opened a practice in Tampa, Florida focusing on breast augmentation, abdominoplasty, liposuction, facelift, and eyelid rejuvenation. He is a member of the American Board of Cosmetic Surgery, American College of Surgeons, and American Medical Association
