Plastic Surgery Integrated Residency and Independent Fellowship

The Department of Surgery offers an accredited three-year independent fellowship in Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery as well as a six-year integrated residency which encompasses three additional years of fellowship training. Two residents per year are accepted for the three-year independent fellowship and the six-year integrated residency, totaling four trainee positions each year for plastic surgery.

The Division of Plastic Surgery programs contribute to the training of general surgery, orthopaedic surgery and otolaryngology residents in the area of reconstructive surgery, including skin grafts, flaps, burns, management and diagnosis of facial fractures, and the evaluation and treatment of hand injuries. Plastic surgery trainees at IU School of Medicine participate in operative procedures and on-call coverage and function as a member of the plastic surgery team.

Program Application Information

Applicants for the Plastic Surgery Integrated Residency Program must register through the NRMP by October 15. Applicants for the Plastic Surgery Independent Fellowship Program must register through the San Francisco Match by December 15.

Surgical Residency/Fellowship in Indianapolis

Medical students who are interested in applying to a plastic surgery residency at IU School of Medicine can find out more about the requirements and process.

Application Details

Plastic Surgery Residency Curriculum

Year One: Integrated

First-year plastic surgery residents spend the majority of the year rotating on general surgery services, including colorectal surgery, trauma surgery, emergency general surgery, pediatric surgery, transplant surgery and general surgery night float. The plastic surgery experience consists of time spent at the Richard L. Roudebush VA Medical Center concentrating on fundamentals of technique in the clinic procedure room. This includes local anesthesia, nerve blocks, skin cancer excisions and simple-to-complex reconstruction of these defects, as well as some minor hand procedures.
Year Two: Integrated

The second year of plastic surgery residency training focuses on intensive care unit management of patients and increased operative exposure. Residents spend time working alongside faculty surgeons at the Richard M. Fairbanks Burn Center at Sidney and Lois Eskenazi Hospital, managing patients within the unit as well as participating in excision and grafting in the operating room. Residents also spend one month in the surgical intensive care unit (SICU) and additional months in plastic surgery at Richard L. Roudebush VA Medical Center to further technical skills and clinical management of patients. General surgery exposure during the PGY 2 year includes vascular surgery and night float. Affiliated rotations include one month of dermatology and one month of ear, nose and throat (ENT).
Year Three: Integrated

By the third year, residents have completed their general surgery rotations and are now focusing on other specialties, including breast surgery, ENT, orthopedic surgery, anesthesia, SICU and general surgery night float. PGY3 residents spend two months at the Richard M. Fairbanks Burn Center as well as time on the plastic surgery services at the Richard L. Roudebush VA Medical Center.
Year Four: Integrated; Year One: Independent

Upon reaching the fourth year, residents are wholly committed to plastic surgery training. Residents entering the independent track merge with the integrated residents, and no differences in training structure or responsibility exist for the two groups in the final three years. These residents spend several months at Richard L. Roudebush VA Medical Center functioning as primary surgeons in hand cases, complex reconstructions and wound management. Trainees spend two months at the Richard M. Fairbanks Burn Center at Eskenazi Health as the senior resident focusing on complex burn reconstruction and acute burn management. Rotations include time spent on the plastic surgery services at Riley Hospital for Children and IU Health Methodist Hospital. A one-month aesthetic experience is provided at the cosmetic practice with IU Health-affiliated surgeons who participate in educational conferences and other aspects of the program.
Year Five: Integrated; Year Two: Independent

The fifth year of residency includes time at Sidney and Lois Eskenazi Hospital participating in lower extremity reconstruction, facial trauma, hand surgery and general plastic surgery. Residents spend several months at the Indiana Hand Center participating in all aspects of upper extremity surgery—both elective and traumatic. At IU Health Methodist Hospital, residents gain experience in general plastic surgery as well as free-flap reconstructions, including DIEP flaps. The PGY 5 year also includes time on the plastic surgery services at IU Health University Hospital and Sidney and Lois Eskenazi Hospital as well as time in cosmetic practice with IU Health-affiliated surgeons.
Year Six: Integrated; Year Three: Independent

Senior/chief residents spend time in plastic surgery at Sidney and Lois Eskenazi Hospital, IU Health University Hospital, IU Health Methodist Hospital, and dedicated time in a cosmetic plastic surgery setting. Training during this final year encompasses the breadth of plastic surgery, including substantial microsurgical experience. Senior/chief residents also share time to serve as administrative chief.

Global Health

Plastic surgery residents now have an option to participate in an immersive, four-week global plastic surgery residency rotation in Eldoret, Kenya, during their 4th, 5th or 6th year of residency. The residency program is made possible through AMPATH, a partnership between Moi University, Moi Teaching and Referral Hospital and the AMPATH Consortium of academic health centers around the world, led by Indiana University. Through an exchange with Moi Teaching and Referral Hospital, surgical residents from both Moi University School of Medicine and Indiana University School of Medicine can experience surgical rotations on both medical campuses.