Applications to plastic surgery residency programs lag behind significant increase in residency positions

Historically, plastic surgery has been considered one of the most competitive and highly popular residency programs. While this is true, recent wrinkles may be bothering you. Plastic and reconstructive surgerythe official medical journal of the American Society of Plastic Surgeons (ASPS).

“Our data is integrated plastic surgery The residency positions seen during our study period are not reflected in a similar increase in residency applications,” said ASPS member James E. Zins, M.D., surgeon at the Cleveland Clinic, Special Plastic Surgery Focus. A senior author on the paper, the researchers suggest steps to raise awareness and stimulate interest in careers in plastic surgery among the next generation of physicians.

The number of applicants does not change even if there are more vacancies for plastic surgery training

To analyze trends in applications for plastic surgery residency programs, Dr. Jins and colleagues analyzed data from the San Francisco Match and National Resident Matching Programs from 2010 to 2018. Immediately after graduating from medical school, students go through a six-year training period.

From 2010 to 2018, the number of general plastic surgery residents increased by 142%. However, he only saw a 14.5% increase in applications for these programs. Overall, the number of applicants per available integrated training slot decreased by about half. In 2010 he had 2.9 applicants per position, but in 2018 he had 1.4. in 2018,” write Dr. Zins and his colleagues.

Meanwhile, positions in traditional independent programs that required plastic surgery applicants to complete full training in general surgery or a surgical subspecialty before entering a three-year plastic surgery residency have declined sharply. Including both integrated and independent positions, the total number of plastic surgery resident slots increased by 45% during the study period, while the number of applicants decreased by nearly 9%.

Increasing Applications for Non-Surgical Residency Programs

Trends in plastic surgery applications were consistent with other surgical specialties. Decreases of 12.5% ​​to 22.5% were seen in general surgery, neurosurgery, orthopedics and ENT. At the same time, there has been a significant increase in applications for medical and certain non-surgical residency programs. The largest increase was in internal medicine at 17%. Emergency Medicine, 37%. and family medicine, 44%.

According to the authors, “Historically, plastic surgery has been considered a highly desirable residency, and has anecdotally attracted some of the best and brightest talent. Are we not catching up? The reason is “probably multifactorial,” write Dr. Jins and co-authors. And stress can be a significant deterrent. ”

Based on the growing popularity of non-surgical resident positions, “lifestyle issues may be driving students away from surgical subspecialties and toward more time-consuming specialties,” the study said. person adds. Recent measures to facilitate primary care may also play a role.

The future of plastic surgery “will depend in large part on the talent pool,” write Dr. Jins and colleagues. They suggest steps to ensure the visibility of plastic surgery in medical school curricula and to open up opportunities for future plastic surgeons. surgery Offer is probably the best approach. ”