Exposure to plastic surgery during undergraduate medical training: A single-institution review

Abstract

Background Applications to surgical residency programs have declined over the past decade. Even highly competitive programs, such as plastic surgery, have begun to witness these effects. Studies have shown that early surgical exposure has a positive influence on career selection. Objective To review plastic surgery application trends across Canada, and to further investigate medical student exposure to plastic surgery. Methods To examine plastic surgery application trends, national data from the Canadian Resident Matching Service database were analyzed, comparing 2002 to 2007 with 2008 to 2013. To evaluate plastic surgery exposure, a survey of all undergraduate medical students at the University of Toronto (Toronto, Ontario) during the 2012/2013 academic year was conducted. Results Comparing 2002 to 2007 and 2008 to 2013, the average number of national plastic surgery training positions nearly doubled, while first-choice applicants decreased by 15.3%. The majority of Canadian academic institutions experienced a decrease in first-choice applicants; 84.7% of survey respondents indicated they had no exposure to plastic surgery during their medical education. Furthermore, 89.7% believed their education had not provided a basic understanding of issues commonly managed by plastic surgeons. The majority of students indicated they receive significantly less plastic surgery teaching than all other surgical subspecialties. More than 44% of students not considering plastic surgery as a career indicated they may be more likely to with increased exposure. Conclusion If there is a desire to grow the specialty through future generations, recruiting tactics to foster greater interest in plastic surgery must be altered. The present study suggests increased and earlier exposure for medical students is a potential solution.

Application rates to surgical residency programs in Canada

“…5,6 There have been a wide range of proposed explanations for the declining number of medical students matriculating into surgical residencies, including lifestyle, overall interest, the duration of training, lack of early surgical exposure, availability of positions upon completion of training and more. [7][8][9][10][11][12][13][14] While CaRMS publishes annual reports on the number of students applying and matching to residency positions across Canada, there are few xx published studies examining trends over a recent period of time. The existing studies have mainly focused on factors influencing medical students interest in surgery or have been specialty-specific in nature.…”

Gender Comparison of Medical Student Microsurgical Skills in a Laboratory Model

“…The challenge then is for the present surgery educators to influence interests among medical students by early exposure, 6,7 to impart mentoring by role models, 2,4 and to provide a more positive perception of the profession. 5 Regardless of gender, there should be equal opportunities for medical students to identify their interests early on in training by laboratory 8 and operative exposure.…”

Medical Students’ Exposure to Plastic Surgery: A Cross-sectional Review of Scholarly and Academic Opportunities

“…49 Furthermore, studies assessing plastic surgery mentorship have revealed that learner motivation to pursue the specialty heavily relies on guidance and support from mentors, as well as operative exposure to the field. 9,[15][16][17][19][20][21][22] If opportunities to gain exposure to the comprehensive scope of the specialty are not afforded, medical students are less likely to be wellinformed for a successful match. As the number of applicants to integrated plastic surgery programs increases, a more comprehensive understanding of what plastic surgery involves becomes increasingly more important.…”