The Coronavirus Disease 2019 Impact on Plastic Surgery Training: A 9-year National Analysis of Case Log Disruptions...

The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic disrupted surgical education, yet its impact on plastic surgery training remains incompletely understood. This study evaluates national trends in plastic surgery case volumes for residents graduating before, during, and after the academic year (AY) associated with the COVID-19 pandemic.

This retrospective cohort study used Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education case logs of all graduating residents in Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education-accredited plastic surgery residency programs in the United States from 2014 to 2023. Primary variables of interest included case volumes of residents graduating before the COVID-19 AY (prepandemic), during the pandemic AY (2020-2021), and after the pandemic AY (postpandemic).

A total of 1902 graduates (859 independent, 1043 integrated) were included. Average total operative volume for plastic surgery residents remained stable during the COVID-19 AY and postpandemic compared with the prepandemic period (P = 0.591). Graduating plastic surgery trainees logged 2245 cases prepandemic, 2337 cases during the pandemic year, and 2421 cases postpandemic. Residents performed more breast cases during and after the pandemic year compared with the prepandemic period, whereas operative volumes remained stable for aesthetic, craniofacial/head and neck, hand/nerve, and "other" categories across all timepoints.

Despite significant disruption to surgical services during the COVID-19 pandemic, plastic surgery residents maintained their operative exposure when graduating during and after the pandemic year compared with the prepandemic period.