The Scope of Plastic Surgery According to 2434 Allopathic Medical Students in the United States

Background: The general public and physicians often equate plastic surgery with cosmetic surgery. The authors investigate whether this perception is present in U.S. medical students. Methods: A national survey of first- and second-year allopathic medical students was conducted. Students were asked to determine whether 46 specific procedures are performed by plastic surgeons: 12 aesthetic and 34 reconstructive procedures, which were further separated into three subgroups (general reconstruction and breast, craniofacial, and hand and lower extremity). Results: Of the questionnaires sent out, 2434 from 44 medical schools were returned completed (23 percent response rate); 90.7 percent of aesthetic, 66.0 percent of general reconstruction and breast, 51.0 percent of craniofacial, and 33.4 percent of hand and lower extremity procedures were correctly identified. There was no relationship with self-reported interest in plastic surgery (1 = not at all interested to 10 = extremely interested) and the number of correctly identified aesthetic procedures. However, there was a nonlinear relationship with correctly identified reconstructive procedures; compared to those with an interest level of 1 to 5, those who chose 10 scored on average 6.5 points higher (14.2 versus 20.7) (p < 0.01). An anticipated career in surgery was associated with more correctly identified procedures across all sections but neither year (first versus second) nor region (Northeast, South, Central, West) with any section. Conclusions: U.S. medical students are unaware of the true scope of plastic surgery. Early exposure to basic aspects of plastic surgery could serve as a means of increasing interest and knowledge in the field and help educate future generations of referring physicians.