Rhinoplasty Education During Residency: Discussion of Current Barriers, Challenges, and Opportunities for Improvement

Rhinoplasty is a complex operation that warrants careful consideration of both functional and aesthetic principles. Despite its prevalence within plastic surgery and otolaryngology-head and neck surgery fields-its exposure and education are highly variable among training programs. The purpose of this study is to identify the various supplemental methods utilized outside of the operating room for educating residents on the technical and clinical aspects of rhinoplasty and evaluate the outcomes associated with various educational approaches.

A scoping review was conducted using the PubMed/MEDLINE database using a combination of the following key terms: "rhinoplasty," "rhinoplasty education," and "resident training." Articles were included that 1) discussed methods of educating residents on the technical and clinical aspects of rhinoplasty and 2) reported outcomes to objectively assess such methods.

Thirteen studies were included in the analysis. The majority of the studies discussed three-dimensional printed models and surgical simulators, followed by cadaver laboratories, detailed rhinoplasty educational programming, and video-assisted learning tools. In terms of assessed outcomes, surveys were utilized to assess residents' confidence before and after intervention, test their knowledge on various clinical aspects, and their perceived effectiveness of these tools.

This study highlights the various measures taken to provide education and instruction on rhinoplasty. Beyond intra-operating teaching and modeling, surgical simulators are highly effective and valuable for residents to practice technical maneuvers; however, future efforts leveraging artificial intelligence and software technologies can help further improve rhinoplasty education.

This journal requires that authors assign a level of evidence to each article. For a full description of these Evidence-Based Medicine ratings, please refer to the Table of Contents or the online  Instructions to Authors   www.springer.com/00266 .