Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2020 Oct;31(7):1942-1945.
doi: 10.1097/SCS.0000000000006803.

Are You Thinking About Going Back to School? An Analysis of Plastic Surgery Residents, Alumni, Faculty, and Program Leaders With Advanced Degrees

Saïd C Azoury  1 , Sammy Othman, Niv Milbar, Omar Elfanagely, William Piwnica-Worms, Geoff Kozak, Joseph M Serletti, John P Fischer, Stephen J Kovach
Affiliations

Are You Thinking About Going Back to School? An Analysis of Plastic Surgery Residents, Alumni, Faculty, and Program Leaders With Advanced Degrees

Saïd C Azoury et al. J Craniofac Surg. 2020 Oct.

Abstract

Background: The number of adults with master's, professional, and doctoral degrees has doubled since 2000. The relevance of advanced degrees in plastic surgery has not been explored.

Methods: Faculty, residents, and recent alumni with advanced degrees from the United States plastic surgery training programs were identified. Degrees were analyzed based on geography, program/hospital rankings, department versus division status, gender, leadership/editorial roles, private versus academic practice, subspecialization training, academic productivity/H-indices, and National Institutes of Health funding.

Results: A total of 986 faculties, 1001 residents, and 761 alumni credentials from 95 training programs were reviewed: 9.3% of faculties, 7.1% of residents, and 6.3% of alumni have advanced degrees, majority being men (71%). Residency programs ranked top 10 by Doximity or affiliated with a top 10 medical school/hospital have more faculty/residents/alumni with advanced degrees (P < 0.01). Faculty holding PhDs are less likely fellowship trained (52.5% versus 74.0%, P = 0.034). Master's in Business Administration (MBA) is associated with chair/chief status (30.0% versus 8.57%, P = 0.01) or other major academic title (eg, Dean, Director) (70.0% versus 37.14%, P = 0.01). No significant associations exist between degree type and professor status, research productivity, academic versus private practice, or subspecialization (eg, craniofacial surgery).

Conclusion: The majority of plastic surgeons with advanced degrees have PhDs, although there is an increasing trend of other research degrees (eg, Master's in Public Health) in current trainees. MBA is associated with chair/chief status or other major academic title. Reasons for obtaining an advanced degree and impact on career deserve further attention.

PubMed Disclaimer

References

    1. Number of People with Master's and Doctoral Degrees Doubles Since 2000. Available at: https://www.census.gov/library/stories/2019/02/number-of-people-with-mas.... Accessed December 30, 2019
    1. Romano M. Rising by degrees. Management titles, diplomas lead to higher salaries for physicians, survey shows. Mod Healthc 2003; 33:16.
    1. Hall JF. Advanced degrees in academic colorectal surgery. Clin Colon Rectal Surg 2013; 26:250–253.
    1. Parekh SG, Singh B. An MBA: the utility and effect on physicians’ careers. J Bone Joint Surg Am 2007; 89:442–447.
    1. Zheng F, Mouawad NJ, Glass NE, et al. Advanced degrees for surgeons and their impact on leadership. Bull Am Coll Surg 2012; 97:19–23.

LinkOut - more resources