Faaiz Alhamdani
Background: Maxillofacial surgery specialty lies within the crossroad between medicine and dentistry. It has been considered as a young medical branch supported by general surgeons and endorsed by inspired and talented dentists. Within the premise of student-centered research, the OMFS training program, as the authors believe, could provide a rich area for exploration. It helps to engage students in their surgical training process and gives medical academics more information about this learning experience, as perceived by students. This, in turn, will influence the future development of this important qualification program.
Method: A qualitative focus group study that included nine Iraqi (OMFS) fellowship students who were purposively selected to ensure maximum variation sampling. The interview procedure was conducted in the Ghazi Alhariri Hospital for Surgical Specializations, Baghdad. The focus group discussion lasted for one hour and 43 minutes. A Generic Qualitative Approach was chosen as the adopted methodology. Data were coded line by line and organized using the Framework Approach. Finally, the Constant Comparative Method was sketchily employed to uncover and comprehend the underlying patterns.
Results: Data analysis revealed that various themes had been incorporated chronologically into the students’ body of experience. These themes are shown in the study’s theoretical construct and comprise new professional challenges; new professional expertise; the influence of the mentor/ supervisor; a sense of accomplishment regarding prospective professional achievement; impediments; isolated voices.
Conclusions: Maxillofacial surgical training brings a sense of achievement on both personal and career levels, due to the range of gained knowledge and expertise.