Facial Plastics

[ghatz]

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Hello all,

I'd like to have your opinions on the pro's and cons of doing an Integrated PRS program versus an Otolaryngology + FPRS fellowship with the goal of practicing as a private cosmetic plastic surgeon.

For the sake of reducing the variables, let's say we want to compare a PRS surgeon who mainly does face cosmetics with a FPRS surgeon.

Besides the "who's more qualified" discussion, please weigh in on other factors eg ease of obtaining privileges, income, hours, future, etc.

I would appreciate your comments and please no bashing of either specialty- Just respectful discussion.

Thanks 🙂

 

[Leforte]

They are both equally qualified for privileging from the hospital's/surgical center stand point. As far as "who is better" - the answer is that neither training is better. If you get good exposure in your training to the procedures you want to do in practice, then either is acceptable.

If you are interested in cosmetics, you may need to do a PRS cosmetic fellowship unless you had great training in residency. I don't know how competitive they are, but several of the integrated PRS graduates from my hospital have gone on to do one.

As a ENT/FP trained person, you won't be doing breasts, body sculpting/lifts, etc. If you want to do these, go the PRS route.

Either way, it'll take years to establish a cosmetic practice. What determines you success in practice is not which route you take, but how well you take care of your patients, their outcomes/happiness, and whether they spread the word about you and your work.

Integrated PRS is VERY difficult to match into. If you go the ENT route, FP fellowships can be difficult to get, too, as there are many more applicants than positions available.

If you want to do craniofacial stuff (craniosynostosis, clefts, etc), PRS is the better route. They seem to have far more of the market share than ENT/FP.

 

[ghatz]

Thank you for your response!

How do the lifestyles compare in terms of hours? Including during residency, given both take 6 years..

Thanks

 

[Leforte]

I don't know about PRS residencies but my ENT residency probably averaged 65-70 hrs per week. 3 years primary call, 2 years back up. 4 years of ENT was home call.

Once you get out into practice the lifestyle in any field is what you want it to be. Some work 40-50 hours. Some work 80+. It depends on how complex of patients you want to take care of, depth of cases you wish to perform, your desire for a certain income level, the number of partners who cross cover and other factors. Choosing a field of medicine is only one aspect of the equation.