Resident Exposure and Involvement in Core Procedural Competencies within Pediatric Plastic Surgery

Area of Science:

• Medical Education
• Plastic Surgery
• Pediatric Surgery

Background:

• Competency-based residency training is being implemented in plastic surgery.
• Previous studies identified key plastic surgery competencies.
• Data indicate limited pediatric exposure for Canadian plastic surgery graduates.

Purpose of the Study:

• To assess the exposure and involvement of plastic surgery residents in core pediatric cases.
• To identify the quantity and types of pediatric procedures logged by residents.
• To analyze the variation in pediatric case exposure across Canadian training programs.

Main Methods:

• Retrospective, multicenter review of plastic surgery resident case logs (2004-2014).
• Inclusion of 10 Canadian, English-speaking training programs.
• Coding of cases based on 8 core pediatric competencies using a modified Delphi technique.

Main Results:

• 5.2% (3061/59405) of logged cases were core pediatric procedures.
• Average of 55.6 ± 23.0 pediatric cases logged per resident.
• Significant variability in case numbers (85-731) and resident roles (predominantly assistant).

Conclusions:

• Plastic surgery residency programs show significant variability in pediatric case exposure.
• Residents have limited involvement in core pediatric plastic surgery procedures.
• Further curriculum development and simulation may be necessary to meet pediatric competency recommendations.