Reconstruction-heavy programs

[sungkwon]

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Hey guys, was hoping to get couple questions answered...
1). Which programs train you with heavy reconstruction focus and very minimal cosmetic stuff? Will you name a couple(I assume NYU would be one)
2). Which programs still have the independent model? I see that a lot of programs have been changing over to integrated only, will you name couple plastics program that still leave room for resident graduates?

Thanks

 

[DrDre311]

Hey guys, was hoping to get couple questions answered...
1). Which programs train you with heavy reconstruction focus and very minimal cosmetic stuff? Will you name a couple(I assume NYU would be one)
2). Which programs still have the independent model? I see that a lot of programs have been changing over to integrated only, will you name couple plastics program that still leave room for resident graduates?

Thanks

University of Chicago comes to mind. They're very microsurgery-oriented, but I think they send their residents to Northwestern for cosmetics during the chief year. As far as NYU, their plastics department is a NIH Center of Excellence in every imaginable plastics subspecialty, including cosmetics.

As far as your aversion to cosmetic surgery goes, I think most people in plastics don't go into it hoping to be the next Dr. 90210, but the fact is that cosmetics pays the bills a lot better than reconstructive procedures. You want to have decent training in cosmetics (either during residency or a subsequent fellowship) so that you can have a financially sound practice. I don't think eschewing cosmetic surgery completely would be a smart way to run a viable practice for most plastic surgeons. You need a portion of your practice to be cosmetic to pay for you to do the fun stuff.

 

[Plastikos]

just browsing and i see many posts about recon heavy programs and "never" wanting to do any cosmo, etc...many from apps of course. While this is considered by many apps to be what has to b said, i know i dont really believe it, especially since views will change with experience and time . Further, i would caution against that kind of attitude towards residency in general, especially when most places have more than enough recon and cosmo is lacking usually.
I think in residency your goal should be to try and get exposure to EVERYTHING you can get your hands on. Limiting yourself on purpose would be frankly ******ed, as each side of plastics compliments each other, and you certainly dont want to be deficient when your out.

 

[DrDre311]

Hey guys, was hoping to get couple questions answered...
1). Which programs train you with heavy reconstruction focus and very minimal cosmetic stuff? Will you name a couple(I assume NYU would be one)
2). Which programs still have the independent model? I see that a lot of programs have been changing over to integrated only, will you name couple plastics program that still leave room for resident graduates?

Thanks

If you want a list of programs that participate in the independent plastic surgery match, go to sfmatch.org and select "Plastic Surgery" from the drop-down menu.

To echo Plastikos, a lot of applicants on the trail seem to have an anti-cosmetics attitude, but what you really want is broad-based training just like any other surgical specialty. You need to know how to take care of yourself professionally when you're finished with residency.

 

[deleted144060]

I was never one to be interested in cosmetics, but I had an attending once tell me that operating on the normal (i.e., cosmetic patients) is extremely beneficial when you're trying to restore "normal." While I applaud your motivation for the reconstructive, I also agree with what has been posted concerning cash flow. Even if you are in a group, expenses are shared and doing a little cosmetics helps to pay the bills. This is not to say that you can't be successful being a purely reconstructive surgeon, but it's smart not to close any doors and learn as much as you can about everything in training.

 

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