Hand surgery training in the United Kingdom: why it is not a separate speciality

Abstract

Over the past decades, hand surgery in the United Kingdom (UK) has evolved and matured into a recognized surgical subspeciality. However, the training pathway to be a hand surgeon still begins under the training pathway of a parent speciality, either orthopaedics or plastic surgery. While there have been several past discussions about developing hand surgery as a separate speciality with its own accreditation, such interest has not met with widespread, sustained enthusiasm. This reflects a complex interplay of historical, professional and societal factors, which we seek to explore in this article. In addition, we will outline why we espouse the current structure, but will make suggestions that can be incorporated within the system to help nurture future generation of hand surgeons.