Frequently Asked Questions
What is the call schedule?
The plastic surgery residents take first call for Plastic Surgery consults. Maxillofacial trauma call is shared 50% with ENT. Hand Surgery call is covered by Plastic Surgery 50 percent of the time with Orthopedics providing the other 50 percent of the coverage. Call is taken from home and shared equally between the three plastic surgery residents.
Is there an opportunity for research?
Residents are busy during their clinical assignments but are encouraged to participate in clinical research projects and to submit an abstract to the Senior Residents Conference. During PGY5 and 6, there is 6-8 months of dedicated research time for the resident to achieve this goal.
Is the program in the match?
Yes, the PGY1 position in general surgery, leading to plastic surgery, and is in the match. Our NRMP # is 137787. The PGY 4 position is in the San Francisco match. Please review our matching schedule for specific information (PDF).
Are there any anticipated changes in the program in the next few years?
There are no major changes planned for the residency program in the next few years.
What have prior graduates of the program done in terms of fellowships, boards and practice type?
To date, there have been 20 graduates of the program. Half have gone on to pursue fellowships including microsurgery, hand, craniofacial and the Interplast Webster Fellowship with the remainder going directly into practice. All of our graduates have taken and passed the written boards, and all of those eligible to date have taken and passed their oral boards.
What is the volume of surgical cases done by the residents and how does it compare to national data?
The emphasis in our program is to graduate a balanced plastic surgeon competent in all aspects of the specialty. Our training program offers ample case volume for trainees to easily meet and exceed all minimum requirements defined by the Residency Review Committee.
Is the entire program held at DHMC?
Dartmouth-Hitchcock does not have a burn unit, so trainees do not get exposure to major burns. Some smaller burns are handled here and experience is gained in burn wound management as well as later reconstruction. To fulfill the burn requirements, a one-month rotation in acute and reconstructive burn surgery is held in Los Angeles, CA at USC-LAC.
At DHMC we have a broad based plastic surgery exposure including cosmetic surgery in an academic practice. Additionally, in order to provide the resident with exposure to both a dedicated cosmetic practice as well as a busy private practice plastic surgery group, the resident has rotations in Miami and Maine. These experiences are funded by the department.
