Curriculum

The residents enter the program on July 1 of each year. They will be a PGY-4 level, but salary will be determined by training level in the program. The resident will spend time at Scott & White and at the Olin E. Teague Veterans Center. At any one time, three residents are at Scott & White and the other at the VA Center.

During the first two-month rotation at Scott & White, one week will be dedicated to working in the microsurgery laboratory to develop microsurgical skills.

During the three years of plastic surgery training, the residents will gradually assume increased responsibility and perform more complex procedures. A senior staff plastic surgeon will serve as first assistant on most operative procedures performed by the residents during their training. During the earlier stages of training, residents will serve as first assistants on all surgeries done by the senior staff surgeons at the two institutions.

All clinics at both Scott & White and the Olin E. Teague Veterans Center are staffed by senior staff as well as residents. This arrangement allows residents to immediately present their difficult cases to the senior staff with them at that time.

Our conferences are designed to cover the entire curriculum developed and published by the Association of Academic Chairmen of Plastic Surgery. Each of the six core competencies is addressed within the context of the studied topics.

Research, either clinical or basic science, is mandatory during the training. Financial support and facilities for research are available for approved projects.

Each resident will be expected to begin their initial research project by January 1 of the first year of training. The senior staff involved with the project will work with the resident to set a timetable for the research project.

Failure to achieve sufficient progress towards completion of study will lead to the resident being placed on probation. A manuscript submitted for publication is required for the project. The manuscript must be submitted to a journal in order to be considered for graduation from the residency program.

Failure to meet minimum requirements as judged by the program director could lead to a refusal to advance the resident to a higher level. It is not possible to have absolute criteria, but with frequent feedback and interaction with teaching staff, a consensus will be easily reached on the individual's performance.

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