Plastic Surgery residencies are at least six years for integrated programs which start after medical school, and three years for independent programs. Independent programs are plastic surgery residency programs that occur after a prerequisite surgical residency, including general surgery, oral and maxillofacial surgery, otolaryngology, orthopedic surgery, and urology. There are post-residency fellowships available.
-
Craniofacial Surgery
-
Hand Surgery
-
Microsurgery
-
Gender Affirmation Surgery
-
Cosmetic Surgery
Plastic surgeons can expect to spend 40-55 hours per week seeing patients, on average. On call schedule can be demanding.
If you are interested in conducting research relevant to plastic surgery, contact Dr. Abigail Chaffin for opportunities.
Additionally, students may want to pursue research opportunities through the DeBakey Scholars Program. This program offers medical students the opportunity to pursue and complete a longitudinal, structured, closely supervised research experience culminating in a capstone presentation prior to graduation. For more information, contact Dr. Derek Pociask.
For information on the Plastic Surgery Interest Group, please see their website.
Students should select a variety of surgery rotations for their fourth year, and request to serve in plastics.
Summary Statistics (from "Charting Outcomes in the Match 2022")
Matched
Measure (n=146)
1. Mean number of contiguous ranks |
13.9 |
2. Mean number of distinct specialties ranked |
1.2 |
3. Mean USMLE Step 1 score |
251 |
4. Mean USMLE Step 2 score |
257 |
5. Mean number of research experiences |
6.1 |
6. Mean number of abstracts, presentations, and publications |
28.4 |
7. Mean number of work experiences |
3.8 |
8. Mean number of volunteer experiences |
9.2 |
9. Percentage who are AOA members |
37.7 |
10. Percentage who graduated from one of the 40 U.S. medical schools with the highest NIH funding |
34.9 |
11. Percentage who have Ph.D. degree |
2.2 |
12. Percentage who have another graduate degree |
20.7 |
Note: Only U.S. MD seniors who gave consent to use their information in research are included.
Sources. NRMP Data Warehouse; Top 40 U.S. medical schools with the highest NIH funding in measure 10 is from the NIH website (http://report.nih.gov/award/index.cfm).
No special considerations.
An away rotation is HIGHLY advised.
This is a very competitive specialty, so the overall application should be well-rounded and strong.
U South Florida Morsani COM-Tampa | TAMPA | FL | 2019 |
Zucker SOM‐Northwell NS/LIJ‐NY | GREAT NECK | NY | 2020 |
U Southern California | LOS ANGELES | CA | 2020 |
U Texas Southwestern Med Sch-Dallas | DALLAS | TX | 2021 |
Cleveland Clinic Fdn-OH | CLEVELAND | OH | 2022 |
U Southern California | LOS ANGELES | CA | 2023 |
NRMP's Charting Outcomes in the Match 2022
NRMP's Program Director Survey 2020
American Society of Plastic Surgeons
Dr. Katrina D’Aquin can put you in touch with potential mentors.