Integrated Plastic Surgery Applicant Review: Important Factors and Selection Criteria

• Published in: Plastic and reconstructive surgery. Global open Vol. 8; no. 7; p. e2892
• Main Authors: Schultz, Kelly P., Shih, Linden, Davis, Matthew J., Reece, Edward M., Buchanan, Edward P., Maricevich, Renata S., Winocour, Sebastian
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Hagerstown, MD Lippincott Williams & Wilkins 01.07.2020; Copyright The Authors. Published by Wolters Kluwer Health, Inc. on behalf of the American Society of Plastic Surgeons. All rights reserved; Wolters Kluwer
• Subjects: Plastic Surgery Focus; Special Topic
• ISSN: 2169-7574; 2169-7574
• DOI: 10.1097/GOX.0000000000002892

Matching into integrated plastic surgery residency is highly competitive. Applicants to these programs are among the most accomplished graduating medical students, consistently demonstrating some of the highest United States Medical Licensing Examination scores, mean numbers of research publications, and rates of Alpha Omega Alpha Honor Medical Society membership. The applicant review process requires programs to rely on a number of objective and subjective factors to determine which of these qualified applicants have the most potential for success. We outline these factors, discuss their correlation with resident performance, and provide our institution’s applicant review process both for applicants hoping to optimize their applications for success in the National Resident Matching Program and for program faculty hoping to optimize their resident selection process.