How would you describe the culture of your residency?
First, let us provide an overview of our Department. Cleveland Clinic's Plastic Surgery Residency dates back to 1979. Since that time, we have graduated residents who have all gone on to successful careers in both the private and academic worlds. Among these numbers are both department chairs and program directors. As a result of our longevity and international reputation, we have contacts throughout the country, and abroad, all willing to help our new graduates establish their place in the plastic surgery world.
Cleveland Clinic is ranked as one of the nation's top hospitals by U.S. News & World Report. Training at the Cleveland Clinic provides a variety of educational opportunities. These include, but are not limited to, a vast surgical experience derived from over 100 operating rooms on the Main Campus alone, as well as exposure to our surrounding affiliates either operating at one of several partnering institutions (Akron Children's Hospital, MetroHealth Medical Center, & the Cleveland VA), ambulatory surgical centers, or via referrals from the larger Cleveland Clinic Health System.
Additional educational opportunities involve regular cadaver dissections, weekly Plastic Surgery conferences, monthly journal clubs (routinely held at popular Cleveland restaurants) and quarterly visiting professorships. We hold workshops for injectables on a regular basis as well as workshops related to microsurgery, hand surgery, and craniofacial surgery. In 2018 our Department sponsored the annual meeting of the Ohio Valley Society of Plastic Surgeons, and we routinely send our residents to national meetings, including the American Society of Plastic Surgeons annual meeting, as well as others, to display their scholarly work.
Our expert Cleveland Clinic plastic surgeons and caregivers are committed to a learning environment that rewards a job well done with increasing responsibility and independence. With over 1,800 residents and fellows in the enterprise, our GME office has a wide array of resources available to all trainees, and at all levels.
Cleveland Clinic itself is home to many “firsts” in medicine and our department maintains that strong heritage of innovation including the original research that ultimately led to the United States' first face transplant. More recently, in 2018, Cleveland Clinic plastic surgeons performed a face transplant on the youngest patient in history, which was chronicled in National Geographic. Other current endeavors include a comprehensive cleft and craniofacial center, planning for upper extremity transplantation, and a burgeoning lymphatic reconstruction program. Past highlights in our department include the world's first laryngeal transplant and groundbreaking work in nipple sparing mastectomy for breast cancer treatment. Additionally, a large cosmetic surgery effort provides our residents with a broad and diverse opportunity in facial aesthetics and other cosmetic procedures of the breast and body.
Our worldwide reputation makes us a destination for patients, international visiting dignitaries, and physicians from all around the globe.
Secondly, let us provide an overview of our academic opportunities:
Conference/Didactics
The Plastic Surgery Department holds bi-weekly education conferences. Conferences are topic based, and each week a designated topic in plastic surgery is covered. Throughout the week the same topic is discussed in a different manner, thus treating 33 different topics per year. Monday conference is devoted to a faculty-directed overview of a topic and reviewing classic articles in the literature, while Wednesday conference focuses more on evaluation and management of clinical plastic surgery problems in an oral boards-style format. One resident and one staff surgeon dually prepare all presentations. Additionally, there is a monthly Morbidity & Mortality conference, monthly Journal Clubs hosted by the faculty, and visiting professors throughout the year.
Cadaver Labs
A close association between Cleveland Clinic's Department of Plastic Surgery and the Cleveland Clinic Lerner College of Medicine of Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine provides our residents with a vast number of educational and research opportunities. Amongst this is unlimited access to a state-of-the-art fresh cadaver lab in our very own campus—the only one of its kind in the world (no embalming). Our faculty conduct several cadaver dissection labs a year allowing residents an opportunity to review complex anatomy as well as to perfect dissection skills. The most popular session is our "Flap Lab". Of note, residents may request cadaveric specimens at any time, for research purposes, or to further hone their plastic surgery skills before a difficult case.
Teaching Experience
Our plastic surgery residents have opportunities to teach junior residents and medical students in the clinic, hospital and surgical settings. Additionally, Cleveland Clinic's medical school program, the Cleveland Clinic Lerner College of Medicine of Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine offers additional learning and teaching opportunities to our residents. Our residents have been involved in anatomy labs with the medical student and have the opportunity to take classes related to teaching and administration. Historically, our residents have also earned the title of Clinical Instructor of Anatomy by volunteering in the cadaver lab, performing prosections and presenting material to the students for a modest amount of time.
Resident Feedback & Evaluation
In an effort to improve the educational experience within the Residency Program, we have implemented my TIPreport as a means of providing fast and focused feedback. This has allowed our faculty and residents to more easily identify areas for improvement, with particular emphasis on operative knowledge and ability. As a result, meaningful progress towards independent practice can be monitored and supported. Thanks to a user-friendly mobile application, feedback can be elicited on-the-go. More information here: https://mytipreport.org/guides/v1/benefits-of mytipreport.
Resident Cosmetic Clinic
Our plastic surgery resident clinic is an opportunity for senior residents to see cosmetic surgery patients independently under the direction of a faculty member. This clinic gives our residents the ability to improve upon their aesthetic surgery knowledge as well as learn the nuances of patient interaction in an aesthetic clinic setting. The residents formulate a plan, present it to the supervising attending, act as primary surgeon and are responsible for near and long term follow up of the patients. This is an opportunity to make decisions with the comfort of experienced aesthetic surgeons in consultation. Emphasis is placed on developing not only clinical and surgical skills, but also those that apply specifically to a private cosmetic practice.
Microsurgery Course
The Department of Plastic Surgery runs a busy Microsurgery training lab. Training in Microsurgery is directed to surgeons in the following specialties: plastic surgery, orthopaedic and hand surgery, as well as general surgery, neurosurgery, urology, gynecology, and otolaryngology. The courses are also directed to trainees in those specialties and researchers who seek training in practical microsurgery at either of two levels, basic course for one week, or advanced course for one week.
Microsurgery courses are held on a weekly basis throughout the year. The five-day course runs from 8 am-5 pm, Monday through Friday, excluding the weeks with holidays.
The microsurgery laboratory accommodates up to five trainees at a time. The courses utilize videotapes and direct one-on-one teaching. All surgical procedures are performed on laboratory rats. All instruments, suture material, and microscopes used are of the highest standards available. Each trainee will have access to a Zeiss operating microscope and one-on-one instruction. Residents are particularly fortunate in that rats are available to them at any time, for either research purposes, or to hone their skills before a difficult case in the coming days.
Applying Number of residents per year: 4 ACGME accredited positions (Integrated pathway)
Program length: 6 years (Integrated pathway)
Application Process
Application Deadline: To be determined
All applications must be submitted via ERAS and must include:
• Medical school transcript
Three letters of recommendation
• Dean's Letter
• USMLE scores
Interview dates: To be determined. In the era of COVID-19, our 2020 interviews for the 2021 matriculating class will be held virtually. However, typically we prefer to hold our traditional in person interviews over two days, e.g., a Friday and Saturday, punctuated by a popular reception Friday evening
For medical students interested in an elective rotation/sub-internship with our Department of Plastic Surgery, please access the VSAS and select Cleveland Clinic as an elective by searching code SURG4002C. The application fee will be waived with discount code PLAST20.
How has your program supported resident wellness?
We believe that wellness is essential in life, in residency, but also for success, happiness, and balance. For this reason, we take wellness seriously, and this begins with our leadership. We routinely schedule wellness events including painting lessons with the Program Director, Dr. Bernard. Additional opportunities include casual social and fun educational events with industry representatives that include dinner at local restaurants, fishing on Lake Erie with the chairman, and rock-climbing with the residents. Please see the link below, as well as our Instagram, for photographs of resident life and us enjoying wellness together.
https://my.clevelandclinic.org/departments/dermatology-plastic-surgery/medical professionals/plastic-surgery-residency-training-program#resident-life-tab
How has your program supported diversity, inclusion, and equity (DEI) either at your institution or in the surrounding community?
We have a longstanding commitment to the diversity of our trainees irrespective of race, beliefs, ethnicity, sexual orientation, and/or gender preference. We welcome rotators and applicants from all backgrounds and look forward to the opportunity to share everything the wonderful field of plastic surgery has to offer!
What are unique features of your program that you would like to highlight?
Please begin reading on page 17 of the following link. Our resident program was recently featured in the quarterly American Society of Plastic Surgeons (ASPS) publication Plastic Surgery Resident, which involved a detailed peek into our program, message from the Program Director, Dr. Bernard, as well as a faculty Q&A with Emeritus Chair, Dr. Zins, and finally, a multi-page recommendation of all the great ways to spend 24 hours in Cleveland when visiting!
Is there any advice that you would like to share with the LMSA community?
Please see the link above for a comprehensive look into our program, as well as our formal residency program website which is provided below. We welcome any questions. Please also feel free to follow us on Instagram!
https://my.clevelandclinic.org/departments/dermatology-plastic-surgery/medical professionals/plastic-surgery-residency-training-program
Contact:
Email: oursj1@ccf.org
Name: Jodi Ours, Program Coordinator