Plastic Surgery Elective for 3rd Year Students

Catalog description

Plastic Surgery is a broad surgical specialty in which cosmetic surgery has a relatively small part. This independent one-month rotation has been designed to allow interested 3rd-year medical students at Penn State an in depth exposure to the unique elements of academic plastic surgery. In addition to mastering specialized surgical techniques and applications, plastic surgeons also frequently collaborate with many other types of surgical specialists for specific problems. The duration of this rotation will improve the frequency of such interactions in addition to strengthening the students' overall experience. During their rotation, students will be expected to pre-round on patients whom they have been following, write notes, round with the Plastic Surgery team every morning, and present and help manage their patients. They will then report to the assigned clinic or OR. They will attend the division didactic sessions. Students will typically be expected to participate in weekend duties on two separate weekends including pre-rounding, rounding with the team, and presenting assigned patients to the on-call attending. Students may elect to participate in any emergencies that present over the weekends, as well. Students should expect to gain exposure in many if not all of the major areas of Plastic Surgery including, but not limited to, oncologic breast reconstruction, general reconstructive surgery (e.g., traumatic and/or oncologic wound coverage, Mohs closures), pediatric craniofacial surgery (e.g., cleft lips and cranial vault remodeling), skin oncology (e.g., cancer resection and reconstruction), hand/wrist surgery (e.g., peripheral nerve decompression and fracture fixation), microsurgery, burn care, cosmetic surgery, treatment of facial fractures, and pressure sore care. To facilitate this experience, students will generally be assigned to 1-week sub-rotations in the following categories: Pediatric Craniofacial Surgery, Hand/Upper Extremity Surgery, Reconstructive (General, Breast, and Trauma) Surgery, and Skin Oncology/Mohs reconstruction. Students can gain additional responsibilities as determined by their level of comprehension and should anticipate assisting in operations, as is feasible and appropriate.