The residency program at the University of Kansas Medical Center is designed to broadly educate and train residents in the art and science of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery. The purpose of the training program is the development of highly competent, inquisitive and responsible Plastic Surgeons. The training curriculum has been constructed to provide residents with the skills to be successful in any type of practice that he or she decides to pursue.
The residency is a six year Integrated program that includes two residents in each year of training. The program provides comprehensive training with increasing responsibility in all aspects of Plastic Surgery. The first three years of training provide training in ‘Surgery in General’ and include rotations on a variety of surgical services. The last three years of training focus exclusively on Plastic Surgery.
The primary faculty in Plastic Surgery at the University of Kansas Medical Center includes Victor Perez, MD and Charles Hendrix, MD in addition to the Program Director, W. Thomas Lawrence, MD. During the first three years of training, many of the resident rotations are directed by members of the KU faculty in Surgery, Anesthesia and the Surgical Subspecialties. These rotations are coordinated in conjunction with Kurt Schropp, MD, the Program Director in Surgery. Rotations outside of KU during the latter three years of training are coordinated by Site Directors at the individual training sites
The majority of the training is provided at the University of Kansas Medical Center. The University of Kansas Medical Center is a tertiary care facility located in Kansas City, Kansas and experience is provided in a wide range of aesthetic and reconstructive areas. Plastic Surgical activities at KU are centered in the Sutherland Institute on the Medical Center campus. Residents also rotate at the Leavenworth VA Hospital in Leavenworth, Kansas during their first three years of training and the Kansas City VA Hospital in Kansas City, Missouri during the last 3 years.
During the last three years, residents also rotate yearly to St. Luke’s Hospital in Kansas City, Missouri. This rotation is directed by Dr. John Hiebert. Two months during the fifth year of Plastic Surgery training is spent working at Menorah Medical Center under the direction of Dr. Lynn Ketchum, an internationally renowned Hand Surgeon. Though hand surgery experience is obtained throughout the period of training, residents focus on Hand Surgery during this two month rotation. During the sixth year of training, residents spend two months on 2 separate Community Surgery rotations. One is co-ordinated by Dr. Daniel Bortnick of Monarch Plastic Surgery and the other is directed by Dr. Phillip Gutek of Associated Plastic Surgeons. These rotations provide experience in Plastic Surgery in a private practice setting.
Resident rotations for each of the six years of training program are:
Year 1
Year 2
Year 3
Year 4
Year 5
Year 6
The didactic program complements the resident’s clinical experience in providing training in all aspects of Plastic Surgery. The core of the Plastic Surgery didactic program is the twice weekly educational conferences held on Tuesday mornings at 7 AM and Thursday afternoons at 4:30 PM. It is required that all residents in their last three years of training attend these conferences. Schedules are developed on a 6 month basis. They are carefully constructed to assure that all basic areas in Plastic Surgery are covered during each resident’s training experience. The schedule includes monthly Journal Clubs and Morbidity and Mortality conferences. Additional conferences focus on anatomic dissections of flaps and hand anatomy and pathology. Outside speakers share their expertise in a variety of different areas in other conferences.
The research laboratory includes fully equipped operating microscopes and serves as an excellent facility for the development of microsurgical skills. Several basic science and clinical projects are currently in progress within the Section. It is expected that each resident in the program will complete at least one project appropriate for publication and presentation during the course of their training.
The goal of the Plastic Surgery faculty is to offer the highest quality training in Plastic Surgery that can be provided. We strive to continually improve the program to assure that we provide the tools for our graduates to succeed in either private practice or in academia. We hope to attract individuals that are intelligent, hard working, responsible and creative in that the quality of any residency training program is related to the quality of individual it attracts. Probably most importantly, we want everyone involved in the program to have fun and enjoy our rigorous, top quality program.
Applications to the program are accepted through ERAS. Information about ERAS can be found at www.aamc.org/eras. All positions are filled through the NRMP match.
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The University of Kansas Medical Center