Total Costs of Applying to Integrated Plastic Surgery: Geographic Considerations, Projections, and Future Implications

Abstract

Background: In 2020, the American Council of Academic Plastic Surgeons and the Association of American Medical Colleges recommended residency programs suspend away rotations and in-person interviews. This study quantifies applicant costs and potential savings in the residency application process resulting from that change, while also evaluating differences in cost with respect to geographic region of the applicant. Methods: A retrospective evaluation of the 2019–2020 Texas STAR (Seeking Transparency in Application to Residency) database was conducted. We queried responses from plastic surgery residency applicants, including expenses associated with the application, away rotations, interviews, and total costs for medical school seniors. Applicant characteristics were recorded. A Kruskal-Wallis H-test was used to evaluate differences in mean costs by medical school region. Results: In total, 117 US allopathic applicants to plastic surgery residency were included. Total expenses for the application cycle were $10,845. This was made up of $1638 in application costs, $4074 in away rotation costs, and $5486 in interview costs. No significant differences were observed for mean total costs for applicants from schools in the Central ($11,045/applicant), Northeast ($9696/applicant), South ($11,332/applicant), and West ($11,205/applicant) ( P = 0.209). Conclusion: Assuming relatively minimal expenditures related to a virtual interview cycle and lack of away rotations in 2021, the average cost savings for plastic surgery residency applicants during the COVID-19 pandemic was estimated to be over $9000.

Matching into Plastic Surgery: Insights into the Data

“… 31 Additionally, Gordon et al reported a similar number of roughly $4000 on away rotation costs for applicants in the 2019–2020 application cycle. 32 Despite these known expenditures, over 90% of applicants report that the away rotations made them more competitive, and PDs agree that strong performance can make a candidate more competitive. Further, 27% of matched PGY-1 positions in the 2014–2015 application cycle were composed of away rotators, further strengthening this point.…”

Cost of the Otolaryngology Residency Application Process: Comparison With Other Specialties and Equity Implications

“…Multiple studies have highlighted the high costs associated with applying to surgical subspecialties. 2 , 14 , 27 - 30 Our study demonstrates significant cost savings for surgical subspecialty applicants during the COVID-19 pandemic, which appears to be driven by a lack of away rotations and interview-related travel. Our findings show that even though there were savings associated with the 2021 application cycle, surgical subspecialty applicants still reported higher costs than their general surgical and nonsurgical peers.…”

The Virtual Interview Experience: Advantages, Disadvantages, and Trends in Applicant Behavior

“…The high cost of applications has been investigated extensively. In multiple recent studies in the literature, authors independently came to the same conclusion: there are exorbitantly high costs associated with applying to PRS residency, with applicants spending on average $9,000–$17,000, 10–12 compared to $4000–$6000 for the average medical school graduate. 13,14 Eliminating the costs of travel, lodging, and dining by performing only virtual interviews would theoretically lower this cost.…”