Tools to Increase Resident Aesthetic Clinic Volume

Area of Science:

• Plastic Surgery
• Medical Education
• Aesthetic Surgery

Background:

• Resident Aesthetic Clinics (RACs) are crucial for plastic surgery training, offering residents greater exposure and autonomy in aesthetic procedures.
• Enhancing RAC volume is key to improving resident education in aesthetic surgery.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the impact of operational changes on RAC case volume and resident training.
• To assess the effectiveness of reduced surgeon fees and social media promotion in increasing aesthetic surgery cases.

Main Methods:

• A 75% reduction in resident surgeon fees was implemented.
• Social media marketing was utilized to promote the residency program's aesthetic surgery involvement.
• RAC case data and chief resident logs were analyzed for 18 months pre- and post-intervention.

Main Results:

• Total RAC cases increased by 135%.
• The number of procedures performed by residents rose by 255%.
• Top procedures included liposuction, augmentation mammoplasty, abdominoplasty, mastopexy, and rhytidectomy.

Conclusions:

• Reducing resident surgeon fees and employing social media promotion effectively increased aesthetic surgery case volume.
• These operational changes significantly enhanced resident exposure and training in aesthetic surgery.
• Institutions can consider similar strategies to boost resident involvement in aesthetic procedures.