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Didactic Education in Plastic Surgery Residency: A National Survey Highlighting Variation in Curriculum Structure and
Kaylee O Leathers1, Jeffrey E Janis1
1From the Department of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery, College of Medicine, The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center, Columbus, OH.
Background:
Didactic education is a core component of plastic surgery residency training and prepares residents for board certification and clinical practice. Despite its importance, no nationally standardized education curriculum exists, and contemporary data on educational practices remain limited.
Methods:
A cross-sectional survey was distributed to program directors and coordinators of American Council of Graduate Medical Education-accredited US plastic surgery residency programs. Survey items assessed didactic structure, delivery format, curriculum design, exam preparation strategies, and perceived effectiveness. Descriptive statistics were performed.
Results:
Twenty-three programs responded (25.8% response rate). Programs reported a mean of 3.65 weekly didactic hours. All offered journal club, morbidity and mortality conference, and weekly teaching conferences, with variability in supplemental experiences such as simulation and cadaveric dissections. Most programs used hybrid in-person and virtual formats (60.9%), and none were exclusively virtual. Curricula were typically guided by program leadership (73.9%) and national resources such as the Plastic Surgery Education Network (69.6%). Formal postdidactic assessments and humanities-based curricula were uncommon. Although nearly all programs expected advance preparation (95.7%), few provided structured preparatory materials (17.4%). Only 2 programs encouraged the use of artificial intelligence-based tools. Over half of programs required a minimum plastic surgery in-service examination score (54.5%), with a mean percentile threshold of 32.5 indexed by resident year and track. Perceptions of the plastic surgery in-service examination's validity were mixed.
Conclusions:
Didactic education in plastic surgery residency remains heterogenous nationwide. Greater standardization, incorporation of structured assessment strategies, and thoughtful integration of emerging technologies may improve equity, enhance learning efficiency, and optimize resident preparation.
