Paediatric Surgery is that branch of medicine that deals with the diseases, trauma and malformations of childhood years (foetal period to teenage years).
Consultant surgeons working in this area of clinical practice will have undergone a specific training programme to furnish the knowledge, skills and professional attitudes necessary for dealing with children and their families.
At present the majority of specialised children’s surgery is performed in designated children’s hospitals, or in paediatric surgical units within larger hospitals. In these settings, teams of health professionals led by consultant paediatric surgeons provide the necessary services to diagnose, treat and support the rehabilitation of children with various ailments.
The routine workload has a very general focus with most consultants developing experience and skills across the breadth of surgery. To facilitate this, the training is broadly based and comprehensive.
Most consultants will also have a commitment to an emergency workload though the nature of delivery of that will vary between different units.
There is an increasing trend for consultants to develop further specific expertise in areas of special interest which include:
Further information on training in Paediatric Surgery is available from the ISCP website: http://www.iscp.ac.uk