<p>Hi, Im interested in becoming a plastic surgeon. What is the path to becoming one after highschool? I will be a senior in HS this coming fall. </p>
<p>1) go to college
2) take your medical school pre-reqs, get great grades (GPA and sGPA >3.66)
3) get involved in ECs, including basic or clinical research, physician shadowing, community service, clinical volunteering, leadership positions, teaching/tutoring
4) get great letters of recommendations from your science & non-science professors and from your work and EC supervisors
5) take the MCAT, score very high
6) apply to med school & get accepted
7) do well during coursework and be in the top 1-2% of your class
8) take the USMLE exams and score in the top 1% nationally
9) do significant surgical research during medical school
10) honor as many of your clinical rotations as possible. You must honor surgery.
11) do as many surgical rotations as possible during your 4th year of med school, including a sub-I in plastics
12) apply for plastic surgery residency programs
13) interview and impress the residency directors
14) rank every program you interviewed at & cross your fingers (only about 3/4 of plastics applicants match.)
15) 6 years of residency, including 1 year of general surgery internship
16) 1-2 years of fellowship</p>
<p>1-6 yes. 7-16 mostly off base. I’m a doc, work with lots and lots of plastic surgeons, all did plastic fellowships after general surgery residencies. There are primary plastic surgery residencies, and they are quite competitive as wayoutwestmom indicated, but it is by no means the standard path or only path. General surgery residency not horribly competitive like derm, ophtho, ortho. Once in general surgery residency, you need to do well and you need to demonstrate a flair for it. Plastic surgery is not rocket science, it’s not academic; it’s a skill, an art. You have to have great hands and all the good ones do.</p>