Elective Course Description
The elective in the Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery Service offers interested students the opportunity to participate in all aspects of patient care. There is intensive operating room exposure to complex microsurgical procedures, myocutaneous flaps, breast reconstruction, and cosmetic surgery. Students will also be responsible for attending ward rounds and conferences sponsored by the service and the department.
Learning Objectives
- Obtain a complete and reliable history of the plastic surgery patient.
- Perform a focused and reliable physical examination in patients that are scheduled for or have previously undergone reconstructive surgery.
- Organize and deliver a clear, concise, and thorough oral presentation of a plastic surgery patient’s history and physical examination.
- Distinguish normal from abnormal findings on a patient that has undergone microvascular free tissue transfer for reconstructive surgery.
- Describe the “reconstructive ladder” as an approach to determining reconstructive options available to the plastic surgery patient.
- Formulate a treatment algorithm for the reconstructive patient based on cancer location, ablative surgery the patient is scheduled to undergo, and relevant historical and physical exam features.
Suggested Literature
Grabb and Smith Textbook
