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. 2022 May 31;10(5):e4239.
doi: 10.1097/GOX.0000000000004239. eCollection 2022 May.

Medical Students' Exposure to Plastic Surgery: A Cross-sectional Review of Scholarly and Academic Opportunities

Luis A Antezana  1 , Katherine Z Xie  1 , Jason M Weissler  2 , Karim Bakri  2
Affiliations

Medical Students' Exposure to Plastic Surgery: A Cross-sectional Review of Scholarly and Academic Opportunities

Luis A Antezana et al. Plast Reconstr Surg Glob Open. .

Abstract

Specialty exposure is most influential in a medical student's decision to pursue plastic surgery training. We aimed to understand what opportunities exist for students through national plastic surgery organizations.

Methods: The American Board of Plastic Surgery, American Society of Plastic Surgeons, and The Aesthetic Society provide online lists of related organizations. Cross-referencing lists yielded 47 unique organizations. Screening for presence of annual meeting and relevance to student and resident education yielded 14 organizations. Bylaws/web-domains were reviewed for information related to the annual meeting, leadership opportunities, membership, grants, and travel scholarships. If available, previrtual/in-person and virtual meeting prices were collected. Lastly, discrepancies between webpage information and phone/email correspondence were noted.

Results: All (100%) organizations welcomed students at annual meetings. Eleven promoted student presentation/submission. Average student registration fee was $109.3 ± SD$136.5 compared with $181.20 ± SD$157.20 for residents. Of organizations providing previrtual and virtual pricing (n = 10, 71.4%), there was an average price reduction in student registration of $92 (range: $0-375). Average student membership was $31.70/year ± SD $45.50 compared with $38.80 per year ± SD $65.90 for residents. The percentages of organizations offering student research grants, travel scholarships, and national student leadership were 21.4% (n = 3), 35.8% (n = 5), and 28.6% (n = 4) respectively. No organizations had student chapters/committees. All organizations (100%) contained at least one discrepancy between webpage/bylaw and email/phone.

Conclusions: Our results suggest that although national opportunities seem to be limited, a role exists for further engagement, with interested students eager to take the initiative. Virtual conferences present a lower-cost alternative for students and residents.

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Figures

Fig. 1.
Fig. 1.
Methodology for inclusion and exclusion of plastic surgery organizations.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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