To become a plastic surgeon a doctor must undergo specialist training in general surgery and then a number of years, usually five, specialising in plastic surgery. Every candidate has to pass several examinations culminating in either an M.Med. in plastic surgery or passing the fellowship in plastic surgery from the Colleges of Medicine of SA and achieving the FCS(SA) Plast & Recon Surg. Even after passing these exams, many surgeons elect to go on to do fellowships, a period of further training to gain experience in certain areas of plastic surgery, eg hand surgery, cleft lip and palate surgery, microsurgery, cosmetic surgery, etc.

And still we are not done, because we are required to attain ongoing professional development through meetings and courses and continuing education. APRASSA has a mentorship program for young plastic surgeons so that they have a senior colleague to whom they can turn to for advice. Further, many of us will have a network of colleagues with whom we can workshop difficult cases. Our speciality is not easy and as plastic surgeons we invariably want the best for our patients.