Our educational goal is to optimize resident education by utilizing the best teachers regardless of practice demographics or even specialty: Dermatology, ENT, OMFS, Hand Surgery, Craniofacial Surgery, Oculoplastic Surgery, and Plastic Surgery all contribute. Participating, dedicated and enthusiastic faculty, we will always strive towards our primary objective: EDUCATION.
Grand Rounds
Grand Rounds are held every Friday morning. In this conference, residents and faculty present lectures on specified topics. We also have lectures by others in the health care field. Recently we have had sessions on coding, ethics, patient safety and access to varying levels of care. As part of our Grand Rounds Series we have a Visiting Professorship where a nationally known expert comes and presents several focused lectures on an important key topic.
Mortality and Morbidity
Morbidity and Mortality is held monthly. These cases are “Power Point” presentations, presented by the resident involved in the care of the patient. The goal of the conference is the prevention of complications by problem based learning improvement and changes in patient care, procedures, and effective communication among providers ultimately to reduce complications. Treatment of complications is discussed with the faculty to access their practice experience.
Journal Club
Journal Club is held monthly. Residents are assigned journal articles to read and present. They are expected to discuss study designs and statistical methods and to appraise the clinical studies. Residents are required to attend, and many of the Tulane, Ochsner, LSU and community faculty also are in attendance.
Core Curriculum Conference and Preoperative and Postoperative Conference
The basic format utilizes ASPS Education Network and other plastic surgical education resources. Each subject is handled once in an 18 month cycle. Previous years in-service questions are also covered during this conference.
For Preoperative and Postoperative Case Conference, residents present cases that they have seen in clinic, are about to operate on, or have already operated on. Because the other residents are not familiar with the patient, the presentations are used as an “unknown“ for the audience. The residents are asked to propose a diagnosis and asked to explain the basis for their decision. The presenting resident then must develop a plan of management and defend alternate plans before the faculty.
Anatomy Lab
In the fall of each year, a joint Anatomy Lab is held using fresh cadavers. Each session is approximately 4-5 hours in length and begins with a discussion by an assigned faculty member who then leads the individual breakout resident dissection teams. Topics covered include: 1. Cosmetic face, forehead, and nose 2. Hand 3. Approaches to facial fractures 4. Breast and abdominal wall reconstruction 5. Lower extremity and pressure sore reconstruction 6. Head, neck, and nasal reconstruction.
Microsurgery Lab
Tulane University has a microsurgery laboratory with veterinary and animal support. This laboratory is held at the beginning of the academic year and each resident participates as frequently as required to become proficient. Residents learn the basic microsurgical skills under the tutelage of a faculty member. Senior residents participate in teaching of the junior residents. Residents are expected to perform venous and arterial anastomosis anastomoses which are analyzed by the faculty.
Sculpture and Drawing Class
Every year residents participate in a sculpture class or drawing class, alternating classes each year. These are hands-on classes that give residents a new perspective relating the structure and proportions of the face and body while learning the basics of sculpture and drawing. After these classes, residents can hopefully implement concepts of balance and line and apply this to their surgical practice.
