Microsurgery Education among U.S. Plastic Surgery Residency Programs

Area of Science:

• Plastic Surgery Education
• Microsurgery Training
• Academic Faculty Diversity

Background:

• Microsurgery is a fundamental skill in plastic surgery residency training in the U.S.
• Existing data on the uniformity of microsurgery curricula and faculty demographics within these programs is limited.
• Understanding current training standards and faculty representation is crucial for future curriculum development.

Purpose of the Study:

• To compare publicly available microsurgery curricula and training components across U.S. plastic surgery residency programs.
• To evaluate the background, experience, and demographic characteristics of microsurgeon faculty.
• To identify disparities in training and faculty representation within academic plastic surgery.

Main Methods:

• A cross-sectional web search was conducted on 103 accredited U.S. plastic surgery residency programs in March 2023.
• Data collected included nonclinical education, clinical exposure (e.g., breast, trauma, head/neck, hand, gender, lymphedema), and faculty numbers.
• Faculty demographics (gender, race), academic rank, prior training, productivity, and scope of practice were analyzed.

Main Results:

• 54% of programs had microsurgical skill labs, but only 35% had formal curricula and 24% had benchmark exams.
• Clinical exposure varied significantly, with breast, trauma, head/neck, and hand microsurgery being more common than gender affirmation or lymphedema surgery.
• The majority of 724 microsurgeon faculty were male (75%), Caucasian (67%), and assistant professors (44%). Underrepresented faculty were predominantly assistant professors with less experience.

Conclusions:

• There is substantial variability in both clinical and nonclinical microsurgery training across U.S. plastic surgery residency programs.
• The demographic profile of microsurgeon faculty is largely male and Caucasian, with underrepresented groups concentrated at earlier career stages.
• As microsurgical demand grows, a trend towards more uniform education is anticipated, potentially accompanied by increased faculty diversity over time.