Perceptions of Achievability, Representation, and Access to Plastic Surgery Training and Mentorship Among Medical Students

Abstract

Background: As the path to pursuing a career in plastic surgery becomes increasingly competitive, the intentional promotion of the success of medical students from all backgrounds is critical. This study investigated medical students' perceptions of the field of plastic surgery and beliefs on their ability to pursue a career within it.

Methods: A survey was distributed through the Recruitment of Accomplished & Diverse Medical Student Applicants into Plastic Surgery program, inquiring of medical students' demographics, metrics of academic achievement, and perceptions of the field of plastic surgery using the Likert scale.

Results: Among 178 medical students, White and high-income respondents reported greater familiarity with the field of plastic surgery (P = 0.001, P = 0.0262), had less of a perceived challenge in pursuing the field (P = 0.0481, P = 0.0307), and believed the field to be more diverse (P < 0.0001, P = 0.0017) than minority and lower income respondents. Students from allopathic medical schools and those without an affiliated integrated plastic surgery program perceived the field of plastic surgery as more challenging to enter (P = 0.0002, P = 0.0084). There were no statistically significant differences in the number of research projects, mentors, leadership and volunteer experiences, or the decision to pursue a research year between demographic groups.

Conclusions: Medical students' demographic and educational backgrounds are associated with their perceptions of achievability of, representation in, and access to plastic surgery. This provides insight into the perceived barriers and potential areas of intervention to enable students from all backgrounds to achieve their goal of becoming plastic surgeons.

Fig. 1.

Survey results by sex, race/ethnicity, and household income.

Fig. 2.

Survey results by type of medical school and affiliation with an integrated plastic surgery residency program.

Fig. 3.

Survey results by year in medical school.