Integrated Residency Program Overview and Curriculum

Curriculum

The University of Virginia integrated plastic surgery residency program is designed to provide a broad initial education in surgery and its related specialties followed by focused training in plastic surgery. Our goal is to train independent plastic surgeons who are competent practitioners, who excel and become leaders in their field and communities, and are eligible and qualified to become Board Certified by the American Board of Plastic Surgery.

Our program is truly an integrated one, with rotations in plastic surgery and fields that fall within the scope of plastic surgery beginning intern year. All rotations during the first three years are chosen in order to provide the best possible foundation on which to build an education in plastic surgery. In addition to general surgery, other rotations during the first three years include oculoplastics, plastic surgery, head and neck surgery and reconstruction, facial plastic surgery, Mohs surgery, and hand surgery.

During the last 3.5 years of residency, all rotations are dedicated to plastic surgery. Residents are trained in all aspects of plastic surgery including thermal injury, reconstructive surgery, microvascular reconstruction, oncologic reconstruction, head and neck reconstruction, craniofacial trauma, hand surgery, pediatric plastic surgery, cleft and craniofacial surgery, and aesthetic surgery. Our training model is that of an apprenticeship: during each rotation, each resident is assigned to one attending and participates in all patient care within that attending’s scope of practice. Residents participate in the preoperative, intraoperative and postoperative management of each patient and are encouraged to formulate and execute treatment plans as they progress in training. Chief residents are provided many opportunities for independent growth to meet the goals of leadership and autonomy for their final year of training. This includes education of medical students, leading our inpatient service, and greater clinical independence in our chief resident clinic.