“The experience was inspiring and broadened my perspective. Dr. Piñal is not only an exceptionally experienced and technically accomplished surgeon, but also an excellent teacher —which, in my opinion, is even more difficult—, capable of clearly and practically explaining his surgical reasoning, decision-making and the technical principles he applies.”

Why did you choose Dr. Piñal’s training programme?

I chose Dr. Piñal’s visiting programme because of his international reputation and excellence in hand surgery, wrist arthroscopy, microsurgery and peripheral nerve surgery. I wanted to observe a highly experienced surgeon managing complex cases, many of them following multiple revisions and reoperations performed at other centres, while gaining practical insights that I could directly incorporate into my own clinical and surgical practice.

The opportunity to learn from Dr. Piñal and his team while managing such specialised and demanding cases was extremely valuable.

How would you describe your experience from a professional point of view?

The experience was inspiring and broadened my perspective. Dr. Piñal is not only an exceptionally experienced and technically accomplished surgeon, but also an excellent teacher —which, in my opinion, is even more difficult—, capable of clearly and practically explaining his surgical reasoning, decision-making and the technical principles he applies.

Observing the assessment and treatment of complex upper-limb conditions broadened my perspective and encouraged me to reconsider several aspects of my own practice. I gained many valuable ideas that I intend to apply in the future, including arthroscopic approaches to four-corner fusion procedures, endoscopic nerve decompression techniques, and a greater incorporation of microsurgical principles and techniques.

Beyond the individual procedures, I was particularly impressed by the systematic approach to complex cases, the attention to detail and the continuous pursuit of better and less invasive solutions for patients.

I am sincerely grateful to Dr. Piñal and his entire team for their generosity, openness and willingness to share their extensive knowledge and experience.

What was your social experience like outside the professional setting with the rest of the team?

My social activity outside the professional setting was relatively limited, mainly because I was accompanied by my wife and our baby during my stay.

Nevertheless, I greatly appreciated the warm, welcoming and friendly attitude of the entire team and the other fellows. Even within the professional environment, there was a strong sense of hospitality, which made the experience especially enjoyable.

Madrid: personal impressions of the city, must-see places and tips for future fellows

Madrid is a vibrant, elegant and energetic city, with an impressive combination of history, culture, gastronomy and modern urban life and nightlife. The Prado Museum, Retiro Park, the Royal Palace and Plaza Mayor are some of the places well worth visiting.

I would recommend that future fellows take the opportunity to enjoy the city whenever their clinical schedule allows.

Tip: good preparation before the visit —at the very least, read Green’s Operative Hand Surgery in its entirety!— and keeping structured notes during surgical cases can greatly enhance the educational value of the experience.

Santander: personal impressions of the city, must-see places and tips for future fellows

Unfortunately, I did not have the opportunity to visit Santander.

Anything else you would like to add?

Read, be humble, question things, learn, repeat.