Microsurgery Education among U.S. Plastic Surgery Residency Programs | JoVE Visualize

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.