EASYUNI Ultimate University Guide 2013 Issue 6 | Page 13

CO U R S E S & C A REERS
Did you know?
Education and requirements
You need to complete training that can take a decade or more. This requires
determination and a real passion for the subject. You will need to be very
hardworking, patient and learn to prioritise. Your work will consume most of
your time, so you are going to have to really enjoy what you are doing.
The first step is to complete a bachelor’s degree in any pre-medical major.
Although this can be any subject, some are more beneficial than others,
especially chemistry or biology, as both subjects are closely related to
medicine. It is best to check with the medical school you wish to attend if a
particular degree would be preferential.
The next step is to attend medical school where you will earn a Doctor of
Medicine (M.D.) or a Doctor of Osteopathy (D.O.). During this time, you will
most likely spend the first two years alternating between classroom study and
laboratory work and for the final two years you will be placed in a hospital or
health clinic. This will provide you with a real insight into the work and give
you first-hand experience.
After this you will have to complete a residency programme, when you will
be focusing solely on surgery, for at least five years. The first two or three
years are often spent in general surgery and the rest spent focusing on
plastic surgery.
You may also choose to pursue a fellowship which allows you to specialise in
a particular category of surgery. This takes approximately three years and will
allow you to choose your career path.

Contrary to common belief, plastic
surgery is not named thus for the
material but for the Greek word
“plastikos”, meaning “moulding”
or “giving form”.
The first recorded nose job was
in India in 600BC, carried out by
removing skin from other parts of
the face and shaping it round a leaf
until it was the right size.
In 2011 Americans underwent 13.8
million cosmetic procedures and
spent a whopping USD10.4 billion!
The average age for cosmetic
surgery in the US is 41.
In the US, 8 percent of all cosmetic
procedures are performed on
men,the most popular being
liposuction. It is not just adults who
undergo plastic surgery. In the US
in 2011, 230,000 young people
aged 13 to 19 has had plastic
surgery. However, not all of these
will be cosmetic.

At the end of your training, you will need to become board-certified with
the American Board of Plastic Surgery to confirm your knowledge and
competence.You will be required to take a demanding exam and to have
performed several surgical procedures.
A shortage of plastic surgeons is common across many parts of the world.
While Britain’s Department of Health and Social Services recommends that
there is one plastic surgeon for every 250,000 Britons, there are only 1.5
plastic surgeons per million people in China and India. In several sub-Saharan
Africa countries, there are far fewer and sometimes even none in the entire
country. With Asia, especially South Korea and Thailand being the preferred
destinations for plastic surgery, there is an even greater need for plastic
surgeons to meet the demand for aes ѡ