Program Description
Mayo Clinic's two-year Plastic Surgery Residency Program prepares you for a career as a competent, mature, compassionate and ethical plastic surgeon who is committed to superior patient care, research and continuing education. Graduates are ready to excel in academic medicine or private practice. Approved by the American Board of Plastic Surgery, this unique program offers one-on-one training in the outpatient setting, hospital and operating room.
Mayo's high faculty-to-resident ratio, large patient population and state-of-the-art diagnostic, therapeutic and research facilities combine to create a truly integrated educational experience. The "Mayo Way" of graduate medical education ensures you will have the finest teaching and the broadest patient care experience possible during a busy, hands-on residency program.
Faculty
Mayo Clinic's faculty is committed to teaching and facilitating the growth of medical knowledge. Many faculty members have published and lectured extensively and are well regarded in their field. You will have direct access to these individuals. By working with them, you will become part of the "spirit of Mayo" where all team members work together to deliver consistently high-quality patient care.
Visiting Professors
Many prominent professors visit Mayo each year. They present their work during noon and/or morning lectures and participate in hospital rounds. The residents are encouraged to take full advantage of these opportunities.
Curriculum
Clinical Program
Mayo Clinic's two-year Plastic Surgery Residency Program provides training in all aspects of this surgical specialty, including:
- Acute soft tissue and maxillofacial trauma
- Burns
- Cleft lip, cleft palate and other congenital anomalies
- Cosmetic Surgery
- General Reconstructive Surgery
- Hand Surgery
- Laser Surgery
- Major craniofacial and maxillofacial deformities
- Major tumors of the head and neck (including the skull base and intracranial areas)
- Microsurgery
Rotation Schedule
The following describes a typical rotation schedule during the plastic surgery residency program. Each rotation block is three months in length. The order of the rotations will vary.
Quarter 1: Rochester Methodist Hospital
- Aesthetic Surgery
- Reconstructive Breast Surgery
- General Plastic Surgery
Quarter 2: St. Marys Hospital
- Microsurgery
- General Plastic Surgery
- Aesthetic Surgery
Quarter 3: Rochester Methodist Hospital
- Head and Neck Surgery
- Microsurgery
- General Plastic Surgery
- Aesthetic Surgery
Quarter 4: Maricopa Medical Center, Phoenix, AZ
- Burn Management
- Facial Trauma
- Cleft Lip and Palate Surgery
- Private Aesthetic Office
Quarter 5: St. Marys Hospital
- Craniofacial Surgery
- Pediatric Plastic Surgery
- Aesthetic Surgery
- General Reconstructive Surgery
Quarter 6: St. Marys Hospital
- Hand Surgery
- Microsurgery
- Lower Extremity Reconstruction
- Pediatric Hand Surgery
Quarter 7: Rochester Methodist Hospital
- Aesthetic Surgery
- Breast Surgery
Quarter 8: St. Marys Hospital
- Microsurgery
- Hand Surgery
- Craniofacial Surgery
- Pediatric Plastic Surgery
- Laser Surgery
The rotation to Maricopa Medical Center in Phoenix, Arizona occurs during the 3rd, 4th, 5th, or 6th quarter of the two year (eight quarter) residency program. Mayo funds the cost of travel, housing, car rental and licensure fees. This rotation is consistently rated very highly by the residents.
Patient and Service Mix
As a regional medical center for the Midwest, Mayo Clinic in Rochester registers more than 320,000 patients each year. Eighty percent of the Clinic's patients are self-referred and come from within a day's drive. Although Mayo has a reputation for successfully handling the most obscure and difficult medical problems for people from around the world, common medical concerns are actually the norm. This allows residents to see and treat an exceptional variety of illnesses during their clinical training.
Mayo is an outstanding setting for advanced training in plastic surgery. As a part of a microsurgical team, residents perform complex microsurgical head, neck, extremity and trunk reconstructions. Participation in treatment planning for children and adults with complex congenital and acquired craniofacial deformities is an essential educational experience.
Didactic Training
Weekly teaching conferences, journal clubs, monthly patient management conference, cadaver dissections, case presentations, craniofacial clinics, joint teaching rounds and one-on-one instruction are all an integral part of Mayo's Plastic Surgery Residency Program. During the rotation at Maricopa Medical Center in Phoenix, residents attend weekly plastic surgery seminars via video conferencing.
Practice Examinations
Each year, residents take written in-service and mock oral examinations. These examinations are structured like the examinations conducted by the American Board of Plastic Surgery. The results of these examinations are reviewed with each resident individually and constructive advice is provided.
Teaching Opportunities
Residents in the Plastic Surgery Residency Program have the opportunity to teach Mayo Medical School students and visiting students from other medical schools through bedside instruction and formal didactic lectures. The residents also will prepare and deliver formal presentations to the consulting staff, nurses and residents in other surgical disciplines.
Cardiac Life Support Certification
Certification in Basic Cardiac Life Support and Advanced Cardiac Life Support (ACLS) is required for all Mayo residents.
Research Training
Mayo Clinic Plastic Surgery Residents develop their microsurgical skills in a laboratory setting and in anatomic dissection during a focused, one-week course designed and instructed by the Plastic Surgeons and the Microsurgery Lab Staff. Residents are expected to complete a clinical research project and present the results at regional and/or national meeting, as well as prepare a manuscript for submission to a plastic surgery or other surgical journal. While there is the opportunity to perform basic research, it is not an expectation.
Call Frequency
The call schedule for Plastic Surgery residents is approximately Q7 and is strictly home call. Junior residents take first call, Plastic Surgery residents take second call, and a Plastic Surgery consultant is assigned to call at all times. The call schedule and duty hours comply with the requirements of the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education (ACGME).
Evaluation
To ensure that each resident has acquired adequate knowledge and developed technical skills, performance is monitored carefully during the course of your plastic surgery residency. The residents meet with the program director at least twice a year. These meetings assure that the residents receive continual personal assistance in achieving patient care, education and research goals.
Career Development
Residents meet periodically with the program director to discuss career goals. A large network of Mayo alumni is available to help residents locate job opportunities.
Admissions
Qualifications
Qualified applicants must have five years of general surgery training or be eligible to take the general surgery board examinations. Mayo accepts general surgery training from any institution that offers a board-approved residency. Board eligibility in orthopedic surgery, urology, or otorhinolaryngology, or any other specialties approved by the American Board of Plastic Surgery are also considered.
Application Process
There are four positions available in Mayo's Plastic Surgery Residency Program each year.
Appointments are made through the national Plastic Surgery matching program.
To apply to Mayo's Plastic Surgery Residency Program, applicants need to submit the following documents to the national Plastic Surgery application service:
- A completed Plastic Surgery Central Application Services application form
- Official college, graduate school and medical school transcripts
- Successful completion of USMLE Step III Examination or other applicable examinations (LMCC, COMLEX, NBOME, FMGEMS, FLEX or NBME)
- A dean's letter and three other letters of recommendation (one of which should be from a Plastic Surgeon)
- A curriculum vitae
- A personal statement
- A valid ECFMG certificate (if the medical school is outside of the U.S. or Canada)
Applications for each academic year, which begins in July, should be completed by September 1st, which is 22 months before the beginning of the appointment.
Applicants who are considered for an appointment will be asked to visit Mayo Clinic in Rochester for an interview with the program director and selected faculty. Interviews are conducted from January through April each year.
Program Contacts
For further information about the Plastic Surgery Residency Program at Mayo Clinic, please contact:
Uldis Bite, M.D., Director, Plastic Surgery Residency Program
(507) 284-4068
Or e-mail: Education Coordinator, Division of Plastic Surgery
If you would like to discuss the Plastic Surgery Residency Program with Mayo alumni living in your area, please write to us for a list of their names.
For more information about Mayo Clinic residencies and fellowships, please contact:
Mayo Clinic College of Medicine
Mayo School of Graduate Medical Education
200 First Street S.W.
Rochester, MN 55905
(507) 284-2220
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