Political Advocacy from Plastic Surgery Trainees in the United States

Legislature directly impacts the practice of physicians across multiple specialties. The goal of our study is to investigate the political engagement and opinions of plastic surgery trainees, and how they perceive legislation impacts future practice.

A 24-question survey was designed and distributed to all program directors and Resident Council members within the American Society of Plastic Surgeons. This initiative was driven by the board and directors and supported by the Resident Council. The Resident Council is a trainee-driven committee within the American Society of Plastic Surgeons that communicates with the Board of Directors.

This survey generated a 10.3% response rate with 118 responses out of 1143 trainees in ACGME accredited institutions. When asked in an open-ended fashion to list the most important reason why one planned to vote in the 2020 election, only 6.8% listed healthcare as a factor. Eighty-four percent of respondents believe that their vote impacts future legislation and regulation. Ninety-four percent strongly agree or agree that political legislation affects reimbursement.

With only 10.3% of trainees responding, there is a concern that political activity is not a priority for plastic surgery trainees. Plastic surgery trainees are attending summits, meeting with politicians, writing letters, and attending fundraisers. Respondents are overwhelmingly voting and planning to vote in elections, though few list healthcare as a reason. A future goal must be to motivate trainees to consider the intersection between healthcare and plastic surgery.