The Educational Benefits of Plastic Surgery Rotations for Off-Service Residents

Area of Science:

• Medical Education
• Surgical Training
• Plastic Surgery

Background:

• Surgical residency education requires exposure to various subspecialties.
• Decisions on rotation inclusion are often based on anecdotal feedback.
• Quantifiable metrics are needed to assess the educational value of rotations.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop a quantifiable metric for assessing learning during a plastic surgery rotation.
• To test the hypothesis that residents improve knowledge after a plastic surgery rotation.

Main Methods:

• A 20-question validated bank was used to create pre- and post-rotation tests.
• Postgraduate Year 1 residents completed tests before and after their 1-month plastic surgery rotation.
• A paired t-test analyzed knowledge improvement.

Main Results:

• 228 residents completed valid pre- and post-rotation tests.
• Average scores increased from 29% pre-rotation to 88% post-rotation.
• This represents a 58% differential improvement (p < 0.001).

Conclusions:

• A plastic surgery rotation significantly improves resident clinical knowledge.
• This study provides a quantifiable measure of educational benefit.
• Clinical exposure solidifies learning and justifies rotation inclusion.