When I grow up - Maxillofacial surgery!

Though many of you may be currently tackling the medical school admissions process, it is never too early to start casting an eye towards your future specialty choice. This is not only important to bring some light to the end of an awfully long tunnel, but also for pragmatic considerations as a vast majority of specialties need you to plan early. Long gone are the days where a recently post-graduate, junior doctor could stick their hand up and enter a training program – in the current environment, there are hundreds of hopefuls every year vying for the 1-10 training spots nation-wide in each specialty.

Next in our ‘When I grow up’ series, we’re taking a look at the surgical specialty of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery (‘MaxFax’), which must be one of the most difficult sub-specialties to get into, but one of the most exciting! MaxFax surgeons treat conditions, defects, injuries and aesthetic aspects of the mouth, teeth, jaws and face. And if you ever want to have problems sleeping – check out some of the images and video clips on MaxFax surgery! Many of the operations they do involve severe facial trauma, and are done in close conjunction with Head & Neck surgeons, neurosurgeons, and plastic surgeons – so there is a huge amount of scope for inter- and intra-professional cooperation.

MaxFax surgery is also extremely technically difficult – performing complex operations with multiple team members in very small areas around the mouth is obviously a significant challenge, and MaxFax surgeons can look forward to these every day. Due to the requirements of the specialty (to be discussed!), there are not an abundance of MaxFax surgeons and thus there is always a demand for their very specialised services. Other positive aspects of the profession include rapidly advancing technologies in the area in terms of equipment, plates, and surgical techniques, as well as the imaging and bone regrowth that is required in the profession. The profession is also highly academically stimulating, with a myriad of teaching and research possibilities in both dental and medical/surgical areas.

The achievement of accreditation in MaxFax surgery is a particularly challenging feat. Candidates must have a dental degree and full registration as a dentist, as well as a medical degree and full registration as a medical practitioner! This is on top of a full year of surgery in general training in a hospital, prior to applying to enter the MaxFax training program. Many dental schools will recognise a prior medical degree, and students may get credit for certain classes in dental school; however, this is not usually the case vice versa. Going through all of the training required will normally take 12-14 years of study to become a fully qualified MaxFax surgeon, and only the last 4 will be paid as a registrar!

Evidently the specialty is very challenging to get into, but I would highly recommend you investigate it further if the technical, academic, and patient-specific factors are of interest to you, as it is an exceptionally fascinating specialty! The scope of practice is unlike any other in medicine, and the respect that MaxFax surgeons gather is very significant. Please follow the link below to check out more information, and take a look at some videos of MaxFax procedures (please be warned that many are operations on trauma patients, so be careful!).

Check out our GAMSAT To Med School Podcast for more interesting news, tips & tricks about the GAMSAT, applying to medical school, and life at med school.