Introduction
Welcome to Vanderbilt Plastic Surgery! Our service of 22 attending surgeons, 18 independent and integrated residents, and four fellows perform the full spectrum of reconstructive and aesthetic plastic surgery. Our clinical services are divided by domains including Hand Surgery, General Reconstruction, Pediatric/Craniofacial Surgery, and Breast/Aesthetic Surgery. Students rotating with us have the opportunity to gain a broad exposure to the field, or to tailor their experience to further their knowledge of a particular sub-specialty in plastic surgery.
Pre-clinical students interested in learning more about the field are encouraged to join the Plastic Surgery Interest Group and attend the Phase 1 Plastic Surgery Evening Elective. Our faculty are happy to have preclinical students shadow in clinic and in the OR. Students are also encouraged to reach out about participating in our robust departmental research program.
Clerkship Director:
Shady Elmaraghi, MD
shady.elmaraghi@vumc.org
Clerkship Administrator:
Carrie Newman
carrie.newman@vumc.org
1161 21st Ave S
D-4207 Medical Center North
Nashville, TN 37232
1. Phase 2 Medical Student Electives
Students on two-week Plastic Surgery electives during their Phase 2 rotations are encouraged to gain a broad exposure to the breadth of plastic surgery. During their rotation, students are expected to learn about basic wound assessment and non-surgical management, principles of reconstruction, and to gain an understanding of basic suturing techniques. Students are assigned to round with a different clinical pod each week, and assigned to cases in a manner to maximize their exposure. All students attend weekly departmental didactics from 4:30-6:30PM on Wednesdays.
2. Phase 3 Medical Student Electives
Phase 3 medical students interested in pursuing a career in plastic surgery often rotate through the 4-week Plastic Surgery ACE. During this rotation, students spend one 1-week on each “Pod” or clinical domain (rounding with the resident team, attending cases and clinics, and participating in Pod-specific didactics). Students are encouraged to take an active role in patient care, and expected to follow patients longitudinally during their rotation. Students are encouraged to utilize reference resources such as Essentials of Plastic Surgery (Janis), or the Michigan Manual of Plastic Surgery (Brown) to prepare for cases and clinics.
Students pursuing careers in other specialties who want to gain a better understanding of the role of plastic surgery in the multi-disciplinary treatment of complex pathologies, such as cleft care, limb salvage, or oncologic reconstruction, can tailor their experience to maximize their learning. Students are encouraged to have specific learning goals, so that we can appropriately focus their time to gain an in-depth understanding of their field of interest.
Acting Internships (AI) are designed prepare medical students for a surgical internship, and specifically an internship in surgical subspecialties. Students rotating on the Plastic Surgery service as AIs will spend the majority of their time with our interns and consult residents learning the ins-and-outs of the inpatient care episode in our healthcare system. Students will be expected to assist with rounds, completing daily tasks on the floor, communicating with allied staff and consulting services, preparing patients for operations, and assisting patients in their convalescence through the post-operative period. Students will also assist in facilitating timely and safe patient discharges. Importantly, students will spend significant time during the day assisting the consult resident in triaging, assessing, and treating patients on whom we are consulted in the ER and throughout the hospital. Finally, students will spend time with our Advanced Practice Providers on the Wound Service, learning how to assess and manage inpatients with complex non-operative wounds.
3. Visiting Student Rotations
Visting student rotations are set up through the AAMC’s Visiting Student Learning Opportunities (VSLO) system. Applications open in mid-March, and are reviewed and accepted on a rolling basis. Students cannot clinically rotate on our services outside of the VSLO system. Visiting students are accepted for 4-week blocks between June and December of each year. Students interested in pursuing Integrated Plastic Surgery Residency at Vanderbilt are strongly encouraged to set-up a visiting rotation. Interested students should submit an updated CV, personal statement (specifically outlining why they chose to pursue a career in Plastic Surgery, and why they would like to rotate with us), and one letter of recommendation from a faculty member who knows them well. Visiting students rotate for one week on each of our clinical “Pods,” and are set-up for interviews during their rotation period. If you have any question about rotating with us, please do not hesitate to reach out by e-mail.
4. Meharry Medical Students
Meharry medical students interested in pursuing a career in plastic surgery are encouraged to reach out to us early to learn about opportunities to shadow, rotate, and participate in research with our department.