You have decided to plunge into the worlds of plastic surgery. Maybe you’ve been inspired by Grey’s Anatomy. Whatever your motivation, the journey ahead is both thrilling as well as challenging. Recommended reading?

Buckle up, because the medical school ride is going to be a long one. Four years full of lectures, late-night labs, and coffee runs. You will cover everything, from anatomy to biology. The course is overwhelming but vital.

After medical school comes residency. The real work begins here. A general surgical residency lasts on average five years. Think sleepless nights, long days, and learning quickly. You’ll rotate between different specialties but your goal is to become a plastic surgeon.

Following a long residency in general medicine, you’ll need to undergo specialized training. This can take an extra two to four years. You’ll learn the skills you need to perform cosmetic and reconstructive procedures. Working with living tissues is more complex than sculpting clay.

It’s not easy to earn that shiny badge. The first step involves passing written examinations that test your understanding of all areas in plastic surgery. It’s just like cramming finals but on steroids.

Next, you’ll have the oral test. This will be one of the nerve-wracking tests that you face. Imagine: you’re being interrogated by experienced surgeons on case studies. You sweat like crazy trying to stay calm under pressure.

But wait, there’s more. There’s more! For these exams to even be valid, you have to keep a logbook with every procedure you performed during your training – right down the stitching and sutures.

You should also never forget the importance of continuing education. Medicine moves fast! It’s impossible to keep up with the ever-changing world of medicine. New techniques appear faster than TikTok.

Attending conferences is a great way to meet people and keep up with industry standards.

You can also add a fellowship to your resume if you want to specialize in a particular area, like hand surgery or craniofacial surgery.

You’re right, becoming board-certified takes a lot. It is a marathon which requires endurance, commitment and resilience.