My Path (and hence my Philosophy)

As all doctors, I began my training in University Medical School (six years at Sydney University). Then I did years as an Intern and Resident Medical Officer in teaching hospitals (this too is no different to other Doctors).

After my Resident Medical Officership, I pursued Surgical Training. This began with junior Surgical Trainee jobs in General Surgery, Cardiothoracic Surgery, Neurosurgery, and a few other disciplines including Plastic Surgery. During this time I completed many hospital jobs and courses deemed essential requirements for a Surgeon (such as Basic Surgical Skills, Trauma Management, etc).

I also during this time completed my Primary Royal Australasian College of Surgeons Examinations that are deemed essential to even qualify for consideration into Senior Surgical Training. It still astounds me that some doctors who call themselves ‘surgeons’ in the community have not passed this first major hurdle.

Anyway, I was then fortunately ranked high enough to gain a Senior Training Position in General Surgery which I happily did until I felt my skill set was strong enough to apply for Plastic Surgery Training – one of the biggest hurdles in my life and one of the happiest days too when I ranked high enough to be offered a Senior Training Position in Plastic Surgery.

I completed five years training in Plastic Surgery that involved Senior jobs at various New South Wales Hospitals, performing the necessary volume and variety of operations, attending Conferences and Courses, and doing the requisite Research in the field of Plastic Surgery.

I then passed my Final Fellowship Examination in Plastic Surgery by the Royal Australasian College of Surgeons to be authorised to call myself a Specialist Plastic Surgeon.

Thereafter I pursued further training overseas in Cosmetic Surgery and Microsurgery to add to all I had learnt in the Australian training program before returning to Sydney to start my own Practice.

I’ve decide to list this long and difficult pathway for three reasons:

– to pay homage to the Surgeons who trained me

– to offer respect to my Plastic Surgery Colleagues who also undertook the same arduous training and made personal sacrifices to ensure their training was complete

– and lastly to my patients, so that they know I’ve taken the road I felt would make me the best I could be in this expert field of Plastic Surgery.