Plastic Surgery Residency

Curriculum

Our services include:

• Adult reconstructive service (including micro-surgical breast, head/neck and perforator flaps)
• Pediatric reconstructive service (including cleft lip and palate, vascular malformations and craniofacial procedures)
• Community service (private practice exposure)
• Cosmetic service (includes rotation at the Carilion Clinic Cosmetic Center)
• Hand service (combined orthopaedic and plastic surgery service)
• Elective (research and away rotation electives)
• Oral maxillofacial surgery service
• Oculoplastic surgery service

Didactic Sessions

We hold a number of didactic sessions for our residents:

• Patient list conference: Residents and supervising faculty discuss the current inpatient list and review photographs, treatment plans, indications and overall treatment goals and expectations.
• Indications conference: Residents are provided with a case scenario and are asked to give a description and diagnosis of images presented, pertinent physical exam, treatment options, possible complications and their management in an oral examination format that is formally evaluated by the faculty at the time of the presentation, providing immediate verbal and documented written critiques. The cases are graded based on the residents’ PGY level in order to provide a more accurate assessment of the expectations of the training year.
• Didactic/Grand Rounds conference: Residents will present a weekly 60-minute PowerPoint presentation based on the PSEN topics. PSEN questions will be used at the completion of the presentation to allow for self-assessment. Each resident will have a core faculty mentor to provide support in creating a relevant presentation for the other learners in the group. Grand Rounds: A topic will be presented by either a core faculty member or other selected expert in a pertinent field of interest approved by the program director to provide a presentation to the residents and faculty.
• Journal club: Review of the recent Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery Journal with articles assigned to each of the residents and faculty overview of short presentations by the residents on each article. Levels of evidence and how the information will be incorporated into practice will be discussed in order to encourage lifelong learning.
• Morbidity and Mortality conference: Review of monthly morbidities and mortalities will be supervised by all core faculty with a classification of the event, action plan, review of literature and disposition.
• Research conference: Quarterly review of ongoing and available research projects with a short presentation about the status of the project by the resident or responsible faculty member. Submission dates for abstracts are reviewed as well as grant opportunities and status of publications.
• Anatomy session: Biannual cadaver dissections will be performed based on availability of resources to provide a didactic session on a particular area (hand, nasal anatomy, etc.) or regional area for flaps and pertinent anatomy and dissection by a core faculty member.
• Research: Residents in the PGY 4-6 years are required to submit a research abstract annually to both the Virginia Society of Plastic Surgeons (VASPS) and the Southeastern Society of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgeons (SESPRS) meetings.

The program director and the remainder of the core faculty will have a mandatory presence at all of the didactic sessions.