Career Development: Medical Specialties: Plastic Surgery

As a specialty, plastic and reconstructive surgery covers a wide range of clinical problems and patient populations. Although aesthetic surgery still comprises a sizeable proportion of the caseload, most plastic surgeons devote the majority of their efforts to addressing reconstructive, rather than cosmetic, issues. Working in academic centers, managed care and private practice, plastic surgeons creatively meet clinical challenges in diverse areas such as craniofacial anomalies, burns, trauma, hand, microsurgery, breast, oncology and tissue engineering. Plastic surgeons deal with virtually every region of the human body, in all ages of patients. With innovative technologies continuously emerging, plastic surgery is constantly reinventing itself, evolving into new clinical areas. This specialty is the perfect place for creative problem-solvers who enjoy thinking “outside the box”.

Residency training information:

• Duration of training (number of years): Six years
• Number of programs nationally: 110 programs (approximately)
• Number of entering residency positions per year: 331
• Types of fellowships or subspecialties: Craniofacial, microsurgery, hand, breast, oncology
• Type of Match: Regular
• Overall competitiveness: Very Competitive (difficult match for "average" student)

Primary faculty contact person for M1 and M2 students:

• Ed Wilkins, M.D. (ewilkins@umich.edu),
  Phone: 936-5890

Medical Student Club or Interest Group:

• None

Shadowing or mentoring experiences available to M1 or M2 students:

• Ed Wilkins, M.D., (ewilkins@umich.edu)

Resources:

• http://www.plasticsurgery.org

Suggested journals, books, or other information for interested students:

• Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery; Annals of Plastic Surgery