212 posters, 10 topics, 5 sessions, 754 authors, 237 institutions

The AAPS 101st Annual Meeting

29 April – 2 May, 2023 | Chicago, IL

D125

Affiliated Home Programs and Electives Are Associated with Increased Matriculation into Plastic Surgery

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Poster Presenter

Alice Yau

Authors

Alice Yau, Marina A. Lentskevich, Narainsai K. Reddy, Kristof S. Gutowski, Irene Yau, Arun K. Gosain

Affiliations

Ann & Robert H. Lurie Children's Hospital of Chicago, Division of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery, Ann & Robert H. Lurie Children’s Hospital of Chicago, Chicago, IL, Texas A&M Health Science Center, Engineering Medicine (EnMed), Bryan, TX, Kansas City University College of Osteopathic Medicine, Kansas City, MO, William Beaumont Army Medical Center, El Paso, TX

Part of Topic

Education/Practice Management/Other

Introduction

Medical school curricula for plastic surgery (PS) exposure are highly inconsistent
We investigated whether there was an association between presence of PS elective rotations and/or home programs in medical schools with the proportion of students matriculating into integrated PS residency

Methods

198 medical schools compiled from AAMC and AACOM
Integrated and independent PS residency programs were identified
PS elective rotation offerings and most recent matches (2021-2022) were obtained from school websites.
Non-US schools and schools lacking publicly available relevant information were excluded.
Welch’s ANOVA test compared mean proportions of students matriculating into PS among schools which had both PS elective and home program(s), PS elective only, or neither.

Results

159 medical schools were included
48% (77) had both PS elective and home residency program(s)
40% (63) offered PS elective only
12% (19) had neither a PS elective nor home program

Conclusions

PS elective rotations and home programs are correlated with a greater proportion of students matching
Highlights the importance of exposure to PS during medical school1-4
Exposure encourages interest in the field, allows for identification of mentorship, and increases participation in relevant research5-11
These insights will help guide medical students in navigating the plastic surgery application process as well as inform medical schools and residency training programs most equitable ways to attract passionate and curious future doctors.

References

1. Yau A, Lentskevich MA, Reddy N, Gutowski K. Association between Required and Elective Specialty Exposure in Medical Schools and Match Rates. Unpublished. 2022.
2. Compton MT, Frank E, Elon L, Carrera J. Changes in U.S. medical students' specialty interests over the course of medical school. J Gen Intern Med. 2008;23(7):1095-1100. doi:10.1007/s11606-008-0579-z
3. Agarwal N, Norrmén-Smith IO, Tomei KL, Prestigiacomo CJ, Gandhi CD. Improving medical student recruitment into neurological surgery: a single institution's experience. World Neurosurg. 2013;80(6):745-750. doi:10.1016/j.wneu.2013.08.027
4. Lee KS, Ng JJ, Choong AMTL. A scoping review of vascular surgery education in the medical school curriculum. J Vasc Surg. 2021;74(4):1362-1374.e3. doi:10.1016/j.jvs.2021.04.024
5. Asadourian PA, Murphy AI, Marano AA, Rohde CH, Wu JK. Home Field Advantage: Assessing the Geographic Trends of the Plastic Surgery Residency Match during the COVID-19 Pandemic. J Surg Educ. 2021;78(6):1923-1929. doi:10.1016/j.jsurg.2021.06.002
6. Akhter HM, Weis L, Huang C, Samson KK, McCarthy P, Hon H. Regional Trends for the 2021 COVID-19 Independent Plastic Surgery Match Cycle. Cureus. 2022;14(9):e29172. doi:10.7759/cureus.29172
7. Janes LE, Kearney AM, Taub PJ, Gosain AK. The importance of mentorship in shaping the careers of academic leaders in plastic surgery. Plast Reconstr Surg. 2022;150(1):224-232. doi:10.1097/PRS.0000000000009263
8. Tadisina KK, Orra S, Bassiri Gharb B, Kwiecien G, Bernard S, Zins JE. Applying to integrated plastic surgery residency programs: trends in the past 5 years of the match. Plast Reconstr Surg. 2016;137(4):1344-1353. doi:10.1097/PRS.0000000000002032
9. Girard AO, Khoo KH, Lopez CD, et al. USMLE step 1 pass/fail is here: are plastic surgery applicants really better off? J Surg Educ. 2023;80(3):448-456. doi:10.1016/j.jsurg.2022.11.003
10. Schaverien MV. Selection for Surgical Training: An Evidence-Based Review. J Surg Educ. 2016;73(4):721-729. doi:10.1016/j.jsurg.2016.02.007
11. Brownstone ND, Mehta K, Sinno S. Completing a basic science research year before the integrated plastic surgery match. Ann Plast Surg. 2015;75(6):583.