Does Community of Practice Theory Apply to Virtual Postgraduate Surgical Training?

Postgraduate surgical training has evolved over centuries as a result of changes in the community, advances in medicine, technological innovations, and the theoretical basis of training and education. The recent pandemic has had a significant effect on postgraduate surgical training. Training has been provided virtually, which has negatively affected the relationship between trainers and trainees. While virtual training has provided a solution for geographical barriers, it did not provide a similar training experience compared to face-to-face interactions. Technical skills, in particular, were extremely difficult to teach virtually. Although the COVID-19 pandemic is over, and daily life is returning to normality, virtual training is expected to continue to play a significant role in undergraduate and postgraduate medical and surgical education. This paper aims to provide a better understanding of the principles of educational theories with a focus on communities of practice and how it applies to postgraduate surgical training as well as virtual training. The paper also aims to offer the opportunity to reflect on current practice and consider ways of improvement.