Portal de Periódicos da CAPES

Looking Back

2013; Lippincott Williams & Wilkins; Volume: 132; Issue: 4 Linguagem: Inglês

10.1097/prs.0b013e3182a015ca

1529-4242

Jordan E. Ireton, Rod J. Rohrich,

History of Medical Practice

It is 2 weeks after the match. The tone has changed as the recently matched applicants spend their time looking for apartments, signing paperwork, and ordering graduation regalia instead of waiting by the clock. Now it is time for programs to focus on next year’s applicants who are beginning their away electives and starting the cycle over again. One thing that stood out to me (J.E.I.) this past year is how little information there is regarding the plastic surgery application and match process. This is likely because of the small number of students in each graduating class who apply for plastic surgery residency positions. Because of this, I have kept a close eye on the process throughout the past few years so that I may pass along what I have learned. As you may know, I am not a program director, nor do I have insight into how the match works from a program perspective. I can, however, tell you what I learned from my experience as a recent applicant. PHASE 1: YOU THINK YOU MAY WANT TO DO PLASTIC SURGERY This is a common stage for many medical students. He or she has seen a case, followed a patient who had plastic surgery, or knows someone personally who is a plastic surgeon. The first question they ask me is, “Will I match?” I always reply, “Do you want to do plastic surgery?” What I have learned this past year is that your first priority, other than doing well in your current courses/rotations, is to figure out that question. You can have the best Step 1 score in the country, but interviewers (in my experience) are more interested in learning about how you decided to go into plastic surgery. Are you truly dedicated to the field? What are your motivations? You want to understand your own motivation for choosing the specialty, so that when invited for interviews you can share that with the programs and help them to understand why you want to be a plastic surgeon. PHASE 2: YOU WANT TO DO PLASTIC SURGERY. WILL YOU MATCH? This is a great question, and a wise one, because plastic surgery is a competitive specialty. The answer is highly specific, however, and depends on your personal accomplishments and academics as well as the program’s particular interests. A great comprehensive overview of this is the recent article in Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery entitled “So You Want to Become a Plastic Surgeon? What You Need to Do and Know to Get into a Plastic Surgery Residency.”1 I will largely defer this section to the content of that article. Another key step is to get in touch with your department. Meet with the faculty and go over your academic record, experiences, and any research possibilities they may have. The more you are involved, the more you will learn about the specialty. PHASE 3: HOW MANY PROGRAMS DO I APPLY TO? HOW MANY INTERVIEWS SHOULD I GO ON? My best answer to this is to apply to as many places as you feel comfortable applying to. It is difficult to predict who will give you an interview, and you are better off applying broadly and having more interviews rather than too few. Most applicants I talked to on the trail applied to over 30 programs. I am not going to tell you to do that, because it may be excessive for some and not enough for others. In the end, it does not hurt to apply to more. Once you have interview offers, choosing the right number will depend on your personal needs geographically and the number of offers you receive. Most applicants I surveyed about this were trying to go on at least 10 to 15 interviews if they could. Many applicants went to over 20 interviews, but that is a personal choice and not always necessary. If you do not have 10 offers, go to as many as you can and keep an open mind. You may be surprised by programs or cities you did not expect to like. PHASE 4: I HAVE INTERVIEW OFFERS. HOW DO I DO WELL? I learned a lot during the interview season, and I certainly did not do a perfect job on my interviews (I have a few good stories to prove it). Here are the top 10 things that I learned to do, saw others do, or wish I had done: Be yourself. People say that a lot, but it is not always clear what that means. By the end of interview season, I learned that this means you need to understand yourself before helping someone else to understand you. What environments are most conducive to your success, what geographic areas do you enjoy living in, do you want to do basic science or clinical research, are you interested in a built-in research year, and so forth. When your interviewers ask you these questions, answer them truthfully. The reason is that the point of interviews is to find the best fit for you. It is easy to get caught up in trying to predict what the programs want, because you want to match, but it is also important that you are happy. It is impossible to predict what each program is looking for, and all you know is you. For example, a program strong in basic science research may actually be looking to balance that out with some residents who are interested in clinical projects. Think through these ideas during the long wait period in October, ask your family members how they would describe you, and call on past faculty you have worked with for insight into what environments would be ideal for your learning style. Be professional. The interview is not designed to trick you (that I know of), but you can easily become too comfortable. There will be a night-before social event followed the next day by the interview. Occasionally, the social event is the night of the interview. Keep in mind that the whole experience is an interview, so if you get too comfortable, it can reflect poorly. Try not to speak negatively about other programs or applicants, keep your drinks to a reasonable amount, and meet as many people as you can without interrupting their conversations (this one is tough, you’ll see, because everyone stands in circles). Dress professionally. This is somewhat open to interpretation because, again, I am not speaking from the perspective of the programs so I do not know how much dress variations come into play. I do know that the more conservative, the better. Women, you can wear skirts, I did and so did most of the female applicants, but skirts should be knee length (of course). Observationally, almost all applicants wore a black suit, with the occasional gray or brown. Know why you want to be a plastic surgeon. Even if you decide late, you should have a good (and real) answer to this. Many people find themselves applying in plastic surgery because it is a challenge, “prestigious,” or cool. What I learned this past few months, both from my experience and those from my fellow applicants, is that interviews focus primarily on the applicant’s motivations for becoming a plastic surgeon and his or her demonstrated commitment to the field. My advice is to spend some time soul-searching to understand why you chose the specialty. If you realize that the answer is not clear to you yet, spend more time in the operating room and in the clinic. More exposure will help you. I imagine that programs can tell the difference between a real answer and one that is not. Interviews are tiring. As fun as interviews are, they take a lot of energy. Although it is smart to save as much money as possible, going on multiple red eye flights or traveling early in the morning can wear on you over time and impact your interview performance. It is worth it to spend a bit more to make sure you are maximizing your potential on interview day. Take notes. You may think you will remember everything, but when February comes around and you are making your rank list, it will suddenly feel like you do not know anything. Many applicants felt this way, and wished they could go back to the programs again to ask questions or see the city once more. Take it all in when you are there, and as soon as you are done, take notes about how your interviews went, how the place made you feel, pros/cons, and gut feeling. Relax. It will all work out. There are a lot of applicants, with amazing credentials, and you all want to match in plastic surgery, but it is best to relax and not worry about that while interviewing. Every single applicant comes with his or her own priorities. You have different family situations, geographic interests, and program preferences. Keep this in mind and just relax as much as possible on interview day because it will bring out the best in your personality, which will in turn improve your interview performance. If you like a program, let them know. You cannot contact faculty after the interview, but you can be in touch with residents. Let them know if you really liked their program, and ask any remaining questions you have. The more information you have, the better. Observe everything. It is easy to get caught up worrying about yourself during the interview, because you want to do well. You want to say the right thing, have good answers to interview questions, and get along with the residents. It is very important, however, to take a look around you. It may be important to you that the residents are friends, and if so, look at how they interact with one another. It may be important to you that residents and faculty get along, so keep an eye on their interaction as well. Have fun! I mean it. I took the interview process very seriously, but I also had a great time and it was one of the best experiences I have ever had. I met medical students, residents, and faculty from all over the country. It is hard for those around you to understand what you are going through during interview season, so make friends with the other applicants. They will provide you with great advice and support because they are in the same boat. I was in daily contact with a few applicants throughout February, and we helped each other through it. SUMMARY Overall, the process can be very stressful, but is an enlightening and maturing experience that leaves room for fun. Seek out advice from many people, as each will have expertise to add. Be the best that you can be academically and personally, know why you truly want to become a plastic surgeon, and keep an open mind.