Plastic, Aesthetic and Craniofacial Surgery

Greetings all,

I am a boarded general surgeon, BE plastic surgeon and now doing a craniofacial fellowship. I also have a PhD (med school combined). I will try to answer what I can about surgery in general along with questions pertaining to academic surgery and plastic surgery.

Because this is a moderated forum (by me and another plastic surgeon), your posts will not appear until approved. For the most part, the original post will be deleted but it will be quoted it the reply. Please be patient as some of the questions may take some time to answer. And please remember, any adivce given here is just the opinion of a few. It's not the gospel, but hopefully it will help.

--Moravian

Questions for Residents, Physicians, and other Professional Mentors
1. What do you enjoy most about your specialty?
I can and frequently do operate on many different areas of the body, perform everything from excisions of benigh skin lesions to microvascular free flaps, have both an adult and pediatric patients, and I'm never bored.

2. Is there anything you dislike about your specialty?
There is nothing I dislike about what I do. My only complaints are with the medical system as a separate entity.

3. How many years of post-graduate training does your specialty require?
If you can get into a combined plastic surgery program, it will take 5 to 6 years depending on where you train. Any additional training (hand, micro, pediatric, craniofacial, reconstructive, aesthetic) is generally an addition year for each. There are some 6 month aesthetic fellowhsips.

4. What is a typical schedule like for your specialty? Are the hours/shifts flexible?
Surgery in general is a busy specialty. That being said, your schedule will depend on what kind of practice you choose. If you decide to be in a solo provate practice, you will find yourself with very little free time. Joining a group (single or multispecialty) decreases the amount of call and office managment. Academics probably provides the most flexibility as far as hours are concerned.

5. Where do you see your specialty going in five years?
Plastic surgery is still one of those specialties that provides a means for private practice in that cosmetic surgery is is straight fee for service. That being said, I believe more individuals will forego solo practice for single specialty or hospital employed positions in the future for both economic and lifestyle reasons.

Questions for Members of Admissions Committees
1. What is the one thing you wish students planning to enter (medicine, pharmacy, dentistry) knew?
If they were only looking for a way to have decent income, they should find something else to do.

2. What are the three top characteristics you like to see in an applicant?
Stellar Step I and II scores
Ability to work well with others
Life experience outside of medicine