First Year

The first-year resident is assigned for 11 months to the OHSU plastic surgery service. While on this rotation, the resident is responsible for workups, consultations, primary patient care, operating room scheduling as well as responsibility and participation in the teaching programs for general surgery residents, interns and medical students. The resident receives operating experience with the attending staff and participates in the hand section conferences and the tumor board conferences. Furthermore, one month of the first year is devoted to a burn center rotation.

Second Year

The second year calls for 8 months at the OHSU plastic surgery service. In addition to operating, the resident is responsible for conducting in-house and emergency department consultations, teaching and conducting plastic surgery clinics each week. Two months of the second year are spent at Kaiser Permanente, and two months are devoted to working in a private cosmetic surgery practice. During both years, the residents coordinate staff rounds, preoperative conferences, journal club and anatomy and pathology teaching sessions, as well as participate in the cleft/cranio clinics at the Child Development and Rehabilitation Center. They also participate in emergency departmental coverage for maxillofacial trauma, upper extremity trauma and replantation/microsurgery call with the full-time attending staff. Rotations with OHSU plastic surgery faculty member Dr. Anna Kuang will include experiences at the Shriners Hospital, where the resident will have exposure to pediatric craniofacial trauma and congenital cases. The residents also help teach the freshman gross anatomy and junior surgical courses.

Research

The plastic surgery division has a research laboratory with a microsurgical training area that is available for the residents. Current research includes investigations in cell engineering and the development of bone tissue substitutes.

Burns

There is a one month external burn rotation for plastic surgery residents for management of patients with acute, severe thermal and electrical injuries. This rotation is done at the Oregon Burn Center at Legacy Emanuel Hospital in Portland. Approximately 25 to 30 surgeries are done during this rotation. Late reconstruction of burn patients is carried out at OHSU and Shriners Hospital.

Aesthetic

There is a two month external aesthetic rotation for plastic surgery residents at a local private practice office. This rotation gives the residents excellent exposure, during their senior year, to the management and case load of a busy private practice.

Kaiser

A further two months of the senior year occurs rotating at Kaiser Permanente. This rotation gives the residents exposure to the management and system practice of a managed care facility. This rotation also provides residents with a variety of cosmetic and reconstructive procedures from a different patient population.