Social Problems in Plastic Surgery Residents

Abstract

Plastic surgery residents experience social problems that can affect the timely completion of their training. Attention to these issues requires patience, creativity, sensitivity, and a commitment to the residents' ultimate success, and adherence to institutional, legal, and accreditation body mandates.

Resident Leave in Plastic Surgery Training

“…Forty-six percent of women had their first child during residency, 5 and 73% of programs had experience with either a resident or spouse of a resident pregnancy over a 5-year period. 2 Seventy-five percent of female residents worked up to the day of delivery, 5 88% took less than 6 days off after delivery in 1995, 5 and only 22 women of 131 residents took more than 3 weeks in 2015; 11 of whom made up the time. 2 …”

“… 2 Seventy-five percent of female residents worked up to the day of delivery, 5 88% took less than 6 days off after delivery in 1995, 5 and only 22 women of 131 residents took more than 3 weeks in 2015; 11 of whom made up the time. 2 …”

“…At times, these events necessitate residents taking leave of absence from training. 2 Thus, the issue of resident leave in plastic surgery training must be considered in more depth.…”

“…Since the early 1990s, there have been 13 publications on the topic of “leave in plastic surgery residency”, including 2 prospective cohorts (1995 and 2015), 2 , 5 1 editorial, and 10 letters to the editor. Forty-six percent of women had their first child during residency, 5 and 73% of programs had experience with either a resident or spouse of a resident pregnancy over a 5-year period.…”

The Plastic Surgeon at Work and Play: Surgeon Health, Practice Stress, and Work–Home Balance

“…These somewhat generic recommendations, while directed at surgeons in practice based on American College of Surgeons survey data, can also be extrapolated to our resident colleagues. Verheyden et al 20 looked at social problems in plastic surgery residents as impacts on their training. One does not need to dig too deeply into their article to appreciate that some of these problems may be either the cause or the result of home–work balance issues at the resident level.…”