ACE: Plastic Surgery

School of Medicine

Plastic surgery is a broad field with subspecialties that include craniofacial/pediatric plastic surgery, microsurgery, hand and peripheral nerve surgery, breast reconstruction, burn, and aesthetics. Plastic surgeons treat patients of all ages and work on almost every part of the body from head to toe. 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). Our clinical services are divided by domains including Hand/Nerve Surgery, General Reconstruction, Pediatric/Craniofacial Surgery, and Breast/Aesthetic Surgery. 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.