International Medical Graduates and the Integrated Plastic Surgery Residency Match

Plastic surgery continues to be one of the most competitive programs into which medical students attempt to match. The reasons for this include the complexity and diversity of cases, the opportunity to interact with multiple specialties, patient and surgeon satisfaction, and the potential for higher compensation compared with other specialties. The disparity between the relatively small number of plastic surgery residency positions and the large number of highly competitive candidates has created challenges for both the applicant and the residency program director. This challenge is even greater for international medical graduates because of traditional preconceived notions about the quality of the applicants. The authors sought to determine existing beliefs about international medical graduates among plastic surgeons.