How To Match Into Plastic Surgery

Acceptance Factors for Matching into Plastic Surgery Residency

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How to Match into a Plastic Surgery Residency Plan

Residency application season is upon us, so let's talk Plastic Surgery Residency Programs! The NRMP conducted a survey to decide what factors Program Directors consider when deciding which candidates to interview and rank for their plastic surgery residency program. The results were compiled into a "at a glance" tool, which is extremely helpful in gauging where your application packet stands compared to the bidder puddle, and whether calculation additional components, similar a letter of recommendation (LOR) in the specialty, could give y'all a leg upwards as programs review your application.

The interactive tableau tool can be establish here, and we recommend taking a look at the specialty you'll be applying to earlier submitting your ERAS packet: https://public.tableau.com/profile/national.resident.matching.program#!/vizhome/PDSurvey_0/Desktoptablet

For plastic surgery residency specifically, major components of the survey you should pay attention to include: (from peak to lesser of the page):

• Pick Criteria for an Interview – Footstep 1 in the specialty is a MAJOR cistron, while having an appropriate strong messages of recommendation and a strong MSPE/Dean'due south letter of the alphabet are also highly recommended.

• Footstep i and Step two Scores:

• Step 1 – Score

• • • 258+ looks like a very solid score in plastic surgery, with the median score that is about e'er granted an interview being 250.
    • Range programs do NOT typically offer interviews: 220-240 seems to be the minimum threshold we would recommend for having a good chance at enough interviews. If you're below 230-235 range, we suggest having a back-up specialty you could consider.
    • Range programs Do typically offer interviews: 250+ seems to be the range at which yous can experience comfortable in being offered interviews by a decent number of programs. If you're in the 258+ range, y'all tin can likely be selective about where you employ.

• Step 2CK – Score

• • • 230-240 seems to be the minimum threshold at which programs will grant interviews
    • Scores below 230 more often than not will identify yous in a unfavorable position to receive an interview

• Stride 2CK – Timing of Taking the Exam

• A full 81% of programs almost never oftentimes interviews to applicants who have failed CK. You lot should have CK before you have submitted ERAS.

• Declining Step 1 is very likely to be a show stopper :
  • Failing Footstep i is a BIG deal in ANY specialty, and this is peculiarly relevant in plastic surgery. 80% of plastics programs volition Non consider you if you've failed Pace 1, and 81% volition Not consider you if y'all've failed Step 2. And then, if yous've failed an exam, you can yet apply, but you lot should utilize to a Large number (100+) of programs. twenty% and nineteen% of programs seldomly consider applicants who have failed Stride 1 and Step 2, respectively.

• Types of Applicants Considered:

  • International Grads (U.Due south. and not-U.S.) are more likely to have difficulty matching into plastic surgery : Only 5% of programs consider interviewing or ranking IMGs (U.South. and not-U.Southward.) on a routine ground. 74% consider U.S. IMGs seldomly, 21% never consider interviewing them, and 26% never consider ranking them. If you're a non-US IMG, 53% of programs never consider interviewing while 56% never consider ranking. Nosotros recommend doing your homework to determine which programs may exist more than likely to consider IMGs, and definitely recommend a dorsum-upwardly specialty to apply into.
  • Osteopathic graduates volition take a harder matching into plastic surgery: Just v% of programs volition routinely interview and rank Practice applicants. 37% and 42% respectively of programs will never interview or rank a Practice applicant. With the remaining 53-58% that seldomly consider DO applicants, it is very important to do your inquiry to identify these programs so that you can best increment your chances of matching.

• Interviewees Become Ranked! : If y'all get an interview invitation, yous are very likely to end up on the rank list if you lot interview. We recommend making a rankings list of at least 8-10 programs, so in one case you receive 10 interview invitations, yous can feel okay with starting to prioritize and abolish as more than come in given you are likely to get ranked.
• Look to receive interview invitations in November: eighty% of the interview invitations will be sent out in Oct-November. Expect to hear very footling from plastic surgery programs for the first calendar month subsequently you submit your ERAS.
• Expect to interview in December/Jan: Simply 13% of interviews volition occur before December, which gives you ample time to set. For further discussion on how to prep for your interview, see our blog postal service on How to Trounce your Residency Interview.

After yous've browsed your specialty, take a await at a few other specialties and note what's NOT important for plastic surgery residency matching:

• Form ranking isn't particularly important in plastic surgery

• Personal prior knowledge and show of your commitment to the specialty aren't particularly of import for plastic surgery

Summary for Plastic Surgery Residency Applications:

• A solid plastics awarding would include a 250+ on Stride one, 245+ on Step 2, a LOR from 1-iii plastic surgeons, and a strong MSPE/Dean'southward alphabetic character.

• Plastic surgery is not especially IMG friendly, but it is possible to friction match every bit an IMG if you do your research to identify programs with agile IMG residents and establish proper connections.

• If you've failed an exam, you can still utilise in plastic surgery, merely y'all should use very broadly and apply for a back-up specialty.

• Look Interviews in Dec-January. Achieve out to programs you have loftier involvement in if yous haven't heard from them by mid-November. Once you have about ten interview invitations, yous can consider being a bit more selective most which ones you actually accept (only not before).

If you need help to place a potential residency program, our residency advisors are highly experienced in application and interview training.

Adept Luck! ☺

Well-nigh the Writer

Caleb McEntire, MD

In 2010, Caleb McEntire graduated Magna Cum Laude from Brown University with his Sc.B. in Cognitive Neuroscience. After working in several other fields including food…

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