3092: Case 500 as a registrar – is this too much?
Structuring ophthalmic surgical training requires balancing comprehensive skill acquisition with reasonable timelines, preventing hospital systems from utilizing trainees as inexpensive labor. High surgical volume during residency or registrar years provides essential repetition, yet extending training to six, seven, or eight years yields diminishing educational returns once core surgical autonomy is achieved. While logging hundreds of cataract cases refines efficiency, tissue handling, and complication management, prolonged training pathways often shift the focus from true surgical pedagogy to service coverage. When extended training structures are implemented, compensation must reflect the high level of clinical value, clinical autonomy, and surgical output provided by senior trainees. Watch the video to evaluate case volumes in registrar training and explore how training duration impacts surgical education. How many total primary cataract cases do you believe a trainee needs to achieve surgical independence before graduating into practice? Please comment your thoughts below.
