Plastic Surgery Away Rotations During the Coronavirus Disease Pandemic: A Virtual Experience.

BACKGROUND: Plastic surgery has traditionally been a specialty that places a strong emphasis on away rotations during the final year of medical school. These rotations allow the program and residency candidates to become better acquainted and are often crucial, as a large portion of applicants match at programs where they rotated. The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic forced many institutions to modify their educational curriculums when away rotations were canceled. We present our experience creating and implementing a virtual plastic surgery rotation. METHODS: Our virtual program was designed to mirror the in-person away rotations as much as possible. Prerotation and postrotation surveys from the students as well as feedback interviews with the students, residents, and faculty were used to gather information on the experience. RESULTS: We created a 2-week curriculum including approximately 20 hours of lecture time, 28 hours of operating room time, 2.5 hours of one-on-one mentorship, and 3 hours of social opportunities. Students reported that they learned more about plastic surgery and the residency program, but in contrast to this, some found it difficult to make an impression. CONCLUSIONS: We developed a novel 2-week virtual curriculum that provided visiting medical students from across the country an opportunity to learn more about plastic surgery and our residency program. Virtual learning is becoming a vital part of education, and our study provides pearls and pitfalls when structuring these experiences.

Evaluating the Effects of COVID-19 on Plastic Surgery Emergencies: Protocols and Analysis From a Level I Trauma Center.

BACKGROUND: The COVID-19 crisis has brought many unique challenges to the health care system. Across the United States, social distancing measures have been put in place, including stay-at-home (SAH) orders, to combat the spread of this infection. This has impacted the type and volume of traumatic injuries sustained during this time. Meanwhile, steps have been taken in our health care system to assure that adequate resources are available to maintain a high standard of patient care while recognizing the importance of protecting health care providers. Using comparative data, we aim to describe the trends in traumatic injuries managed by our plastic surgery service and detail the changes in consultation policies made to minimize provider exposure. METHODS: A retrospective chart review was performed of all plastic surgery emergencies at our institution during the 3 weeks preceding the issuance of SAH orders in Chicago and the 3 weeks after. The electronic medical record was queried for patient age, type and mechanism of injury, location where injury was sustained, presence of domestic violence, length of inpatient hospital stays, and treatment rendered. The two 3-week periods were then comparatively analyzed to determine differences and trends in these variables and treatment rendered. The 2 periods were then comparatively analyzed to determine differences and trends in these variables. RESULTS: There was a significant decrease in trauma consults since the issuance of SAH (88 pre-SAH vs 62 post-SAH) with a marked decrease in trauma-related hand injuries. There was an increase in the percentage of assault-related injuries including those associated with domestic violence, whereas there was an overall decrease in motor vehicle collisions. There was no notable change in the location where injuries were sustained. Significantly fewer patients were seen by house staff in the emergency room, whereas those requiring surgical intervention were able to receive care without delay. CONCLUSIONS: Stay-at-home orders in Chicago have impacted traumatic injury patterns seen by the Section of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery at a level I Trauma Center. Safe and timely care can continue to be provided with thorough communication, vigilance, and guidance from our colleagues.