Financial Awards to Enhance Access to Careers in Plastic Surgery: A Survey of Program Directors

Away rotations are considered integral to the plastic surgery application process; however, they can be financially burdensome. Programs have instituted awards to offset rotation costs for individuals with socioeconomic barriers in part to increase diversity in plastic surgery. However, the effectiveness of these awards is unknown. The study investigated the rank order of applicants who received awards to fund away rotations.

A survey was administered to 40 plastic surgery programs that reportedly offer awards for diverse applicants. The survey confirmed whether the program offered awards for away rotators in the 2023-2024 match cycle. Those programs were asked about their institution demographics, away rotations, interview process, and rank process. Each program was asked to categorize their top 10 ranked applicants as home students, award recipients, nonaward rotators, or nonrotators. Programs were also asked to categorize any applicants they did not rank.

Seventeen programs responded, and only 10 reported having award programs. The programs had similar processes for applicant selection, rotation structure, and student evaluation. Most programs did not interview all rotators, and it was common to rank fewer candidates than were interviewed. Two award recipients were ranked in the top 10, whereas 3 were not ranked. No award recipients were ranked to match.

Our preliminary study demonstrated a need for a central repository of information about away rotation scholarships. The data indicate that there was no significant difference in rank order between applicant categories; however, awardees were not ranked to match at any institution.