Teaching Basic Plastic Surgical Skills on an Alternative Synthetic Bench Model

Currently, plastic surgery occupies a negligible component of many undergraduate curricula, and its recognition as a specialty is poorly understood by both medical students and primary care physicians.1,2 One important reason for this is that medical students are seldom exposed to plastic surgery.1,2 Because it is difficult to change the undergraduate curriculum, alternative solutions are required for increased exposure to plastic surgery at the undergraduate level.1,2 To meet that need, we propose training in basic surgical skills pertinent to plastic surgery on an alternative low-fidelity synthetic bench model, prepared with 2.5-mm-thick laminated plates composed of rubber (flattened pure polyvinyl chloride) reinforced with mesh (polyester and cotton) (Emborrachado or Rubberised Line; Kelson's Industria e Comercio S.A., Rio de Janeiro, Brazil). Generally, these plates are used in the manufacture of decorative objects such as handpainted rugs and are readily purchased at craft stores (eg, Sonalk Representacoes Ltda, Sa Paulo, Brazil, and ANMAG Representacoes Ltda, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil). This synthetic material can also be purchased and shipped anywhere in the world through …