Background and objective.

Training and teaching are two fundamental objectives of the Ibero-Latin American Federation of Plastic Surgery (FILACP), an entity composed of the National Societies of Plastic Surgery of 22 Ibero-Latin American countries. The aim of our work was to share and discuss the situation of specialized training in Plastic Surgery in the different member countries of FILACP, in a meeting where tutors accredited from all the Plastic Surgery National Societies of the Federation were present.

Methods.

Surveys and personal interviews were carried out with tutors and representatives of the national societies members of FILACP, in which information was collected on the annual teaching offer and accredited services, admission process, duration of the training period, financing of the training, annual teaching periods, supervision methods and evaluation methods. The results obtained were contrasted and shared during the FILACP International Meeting of Tutors held in April 2022 in San José, Costa Rica.

Results.

In the Federation countries, a total of 539 residents were formed in 2021 in 245 accredited teaching services, the average supply being approximately 1 resident per 700.000 inhabitants. The examination was the main access route to the specialty, the duration of which ranged from 3 to 5 years, with 3 years being the most frequent. Annual teaching periods ranged from 1920 to 4150 hours, the most frequent figure being around 2500 hours per year. Supervision by staff and chief resident were established figures in many centers, and examination was the most widespread method of evaluation.

Conclusions.

FILACP is a remarkable training and teaching power with a large number of accredited services and residents each year, but the training structure shows considerable variability among its member nations, making it difficult to standardize professionals and implement common policies.

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