Let's have the courage to train young doctors to conduct ophthalmic surgery! - This is the final plea of this theoretical article, which appeals for greater collaboration between medical and educational sciences in the training of ophthalmic surgeons. It will be discussed whether surgery-based training is adequate, from the point of view of both medical knowledge and learning theory. Standard requirements for the specialist qualification in ophthalmic surgery are presented for Bavaria, Austria and Switzerland; these are then compared and contrasted with the experience-based practice of vocational training. Assuming that vocational training can be understood as providing the context for action-oriented learning, the relevance of procedural knowledge will be discussed for the development of practical surgical skills. A model for expertise in ophthalmic surgery will be outlined. Instructors' didactic skills and expertise will be discussed in relation to the requirements and guidelines for receiving the license to train assistants. In general, the article highlights the relevance of performance in learning surgery, and calls for the provision of sufficient possibilities to learn surgery in the course of assistant doctors' vocational training. This article addresses those who are involved in ophthalmologists' and ophthalmic surgeons' vocational training (e.g. medical instructors, medical associations, assistant doctors) and who welcome thought-provoking impulses from unfamiliar academic disciplines on key questions and concerns in practical vocational training.
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