Can you apply to both plastics and general at the same school?

[rubyness]

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If I want to apply to plastics programs as well as general programs, is it considered poor form/touche to apply to both at one school?

I've heard differing opinions-- that either gen surg people don't want to train plastics people or that the different programs don't talk to each other anyway so noone will know if you applied to both.

So can you apply to both programs at one school or do you have to only pick one?

 

[surg]

I would say the general answer to this is no. Most departments of surgery include both general and plastics so the coordinators often share duties during interview season to see that those days go off ok. I know in our institution, the coordinators run the logistics for both programs all year. In discussions that I have been in, knowing that they also applied to plastics at our institution is pretty much an instant ding for the general surgery program. (Don't know about the plastics side of the equation, but I imagine it doesn't help you over there either!)

I suppose it MIGHT be ok if the plastic surgery folks were their own DEPARTMENT, but I would bet they they would still end up finding out at some point.

 

[droliver]

It would be considered a huge strike against you for the General Surgery program consideration & most of the time they would likely not rank you. I think most Plastics divisions/departments couldn't care less & understand how competitive things our for the integrated programs. To the general surgery program direction however, you someone

1) they consider not serious about being a good general surgery resident due to your preocupation with plastic surgery
2) more then likely to quit sometime during your general surgery residency & disrupting their manpower requirements to run a program

While neither of those is fair, you're paying for many years of predesessors who have engendered those stereotypes. I think the attitude of many of the applicants for the integrated spots has only reinforced things unfortunately

 

[edmadison]

Most folks applying to direct Plastics also apply to general surgery. There are so few direct plastics shots you need to be hot stuff to be guaranteed of a position.

Ed

 

[thenavysurgeon]

what the hell is 'direct plastics'...do you mean the integrated programs? i agree with the post above...most good integrated programs are 'integrated' with gen surg residencies that you'd want to train in anyway...i would avoid double applications to the same program. you're going to get dinged.