Board Certified

This Monday I flew out to Baltimore to complete the last step of my General Surgery Boards. It is an oral exam and they can ask you about anything. I stayed at the Hyatt Regency on the Inner harbor. The accommodations were excellent. It was right across the road from the Inner Harbor - a big shopping and dining complex on the water. The USS Constellation is docked there as well as numerous other ships that you can tour.

Baltimore is famous for its crab so I ate nothing but crab for 48 hours. The test was very difficult but I got good news today:

"We are pleased to inform you that you successfully passed this examination."

I recommend the book Passing the General Surgery Oral Boards. I read that and filled in a few gaps with Cameron's.

Busy Busy Busy! There is an incredible amount to read. No matter how much I read I still get completely blindsided by questions. I put together a page with what I consider really good plastic surgery books. I don't have all of them yet, but I am getting close. I bought the Nahai books last week. They are expensive but they are amazing, and they come with 5 DVD's. You can see the library page I put together here.

In other news, I met the author of Operative Plastic Surgery, Dr. Evans. He was amused that the cheapest copy of his book on the internet is >$1k. There are a couple copies floating around that are listed at $4500. He said that he is finishing up a 4 volume set to replace the original book. He didn't say when it would be finished.

Last Leg of the Journey

I finally made it! I'm a Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery resident at the University of Louisville.

Match is Friday

Best of luck everyone. The match is Friday. Between now and then are the most agonizing 4 days ever.

CAS open!

The central application service has updated their sight with the new application. It looks like they have extended the deadline for application to September 1st. There are 49 programs this year. No real shockers, pretty much the same ones as last year. There was a Cleveland Clinic - Florida on the application last year but they ended up not interviewing for one reason or another. It isn't on there this year. Also there were a few combined programs that were trying to fill spots through the fellowship match last year that aren't on there.

There are new questions on the application this year. Last year there were 8 totally different questions. This year there are 4. Anyway best of luck to everyone. Email me if I can help you.

Application process

I am not sure why they don't have the new application up on the website. Its already the 10th of July. My hope is that they are trying to make it possible to fill the application out and submit it online. Someone emailed me that he had his logon for the SFMATCH site.

Wondering where the application is

I am wondering when the CAS is going to post the new application on their website. I think it was available in early June last year. I'm sure there are a lot of people who are very anxious to get going with the process. I know I was. There are some things you can be doing in the meantime. You have to get your Evaluation of Training from the American Board of Plastic Surgery. If you check this post you will find a link to the ABPS website where you can start the process. If you have any questions about the process I would be happy to talk to you.

Yesssssssssss. Finished with nightfloat.

This is my last hour of nightfloat. I have 24 total calls next year!

Where people matched.

I have been getting questions about where people matched. So far I know 72 of the 101 spots....

2006 fellowship spots and where they were filled from:

USC took someone from Loma Linda and from Tulane.
Albert Einstein took someone from Rush, Cedars Sinai LA, St. Luke's (NYC) and UCLA.
Medical College of Wisconsin took someone from Rush and I'm not sure who they filled the second spot with.
UC Davis took someone from Oregon HSU and University of Kansas (Wichita branch).
Christus St. Joseph's (Houston) took someone from LSU and one from in house.
Indiana took someone from Wayne State and Virginia Mason.
Tulane took someone from U South Alabama and Wayne State.
U Mass took someone from Cedar Sinai (LA) and North Shore (Long Island).
Lahey Clinic took someone from Oregon HSU.
Vanderbilt took someone from Naval Medical Center, U maryland and University of Arizona.
Cleveland Clinic took someone from UT Memphis, USC and one from in house.
U Minnesota took someone from Drexler Philedelphia.
Emory took someone from East Carolina University, Naval Medical Center and Stanford.
LSU took someone from Orlando Regional and Keesler Medical Center.
Miami took someone from UMDNJ.
UNC took someone from Maine Medical Center and LSU.
U Mississippi filled completely from in house candidates.
Louisville got people from Pheonix integrated and Kansas University (Kansas City branch.)
UVA took someone from Mayo Scottsdale.
UAB took someone from UT southwestern and UT Memphis.
U South Florida took someone from Miami and I'm not sure where else.
UT Houston took someone from LSU.
Cincinnati took someone from Beth Isreal.
UIC Chicago took someone from Lankenau Hospital and SUNY downstate.
UC Irvine took someone from UNLV and Georgetown.
Wayne State took someone from Beaumont Hospital in Detroit and from Michigan State.
Mayo took someone from North Shore Long Island, Pheonix Integrated, UIC Chicago and Maricopa Integrated.
UCLA took someone from in house and someone from Mass General.
Harvard took someone from Brigham and Womens and NYU.
Nassau took someone from Mt. Sinai New York.
Oregon HSU took someone from U Washington and from in house.
U South Carolina took someone from University of Buffalo and U Mississippi.
Nebraska took someone from Methodist hospital in Dallas.
Loyola took someone from Akron.
Duke took someone from UCLA Harbor.
Penn State took someone from Oregon HSU.

If you know any of the other spots please email me.

Life is GOOOOOOD.

I have three weeks of night float left. It will be nice to get back to the sunlit world. At this point I am completely transparent like one of those fishes that lives at the bottom of the ocean next to volcanos. If I go outside I have to wear dark sunglasses.

All of that being said, life is GOOOOOOOD. At Chairman's rounds last week our chairman handed out a paper describing Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs. I remembered this pyramid from Anthropology class in college. I am feeling very self actualized right now. There is only one other time in my life when I have felt even close to this good. That was right after I started medical school at Northwestern.

I can't wait to start training at Louisville. It will be the farthest south and east I have ever lived. I can't wait to see a new part of the country. Every time I have moved it has been a great thing for me. Moving to Chicago was perhaps the biggest change. I grew up in a small town in Iowa and moving to Chicago was like being born to the world. I learned to love cuisines from all over the world, I was exposed to people from all over the world and I did all sorts of things that I never could have done in Iowa. I am sure Louisville will bring all sorts of new influences into my life. I will just have to be very careful to pronounce it like LOO-ah-vul. Definitely never say Lewis-ville. You might not survive it.

I think the central application service should be opening the application process in the next few days. I would click the link to the right of the page for the CAS every once in a while to see if the application has been updated to reflect the new year of applying. Also be sure to get your first 3 years certified by the ASPS. There is a link to the right of the page to them I think. Best of luck to this years applicants.

Statistics from the Match

I got a letter from the SFMATCH today letting me know that I matched at Louisville. They also included statistics from the match. It was the most number of people for the fewest number of spots ever. There were 306 applicants for 101 spots. Most of the people who matched will match having completed 5 years of general surgery. With those kind of numbers I was incredibly fortunate to match.

Plans for this site

I am planning on updating the links to the right of the page when the new application comes out in a few weeks. Hopefully there will be a few new programs to add. I noticed that some of my links were broken and I will get those fixed. I also am happy to answer any questions that arise about the process.

How to use this site

I will have links to all of the programs in the match for the coming year. If you need to do some quick research about a program the links will help a lot. If you are interested, I would suggest looking at the archives and starting from the beginning of the site and reading forward. Best of luck to next year's class.

MATCHED!!!!

I Matched! Louisville I'm on my way!

Match tomorrow

Well here we are. Tomorrow (Friday) is the big day. The programs find out who they got and then they are supposed to call the people. I heard from some fellows that the program didn't call them and they sat biting their nails all weekend until they could call sfmatch on Monday. If I am lucky enough to match I know the program won't call me. It would just be too awesome to match AND have the program call.

Just a few more days

Its just a few more days until the match. I got a hard copy of my rank list in the regular mail on Saturday. Everything was as it should be.

A lot of people have been asking me if I am planning to post match information on the site. I don't really have any problem doing that, but I may be a little busy trying to find a hand spot for a while after the match. What I would recommend would be to post your match in a thread on plastics2002.com. There is already a thread open over there for that purpose. I would be happy to compile a list of the matches that I hear about and post it, but like I said, I am anticipating being otherwise occupied.

Its all over but the shouting.

The rank lists were due today. Its all done now, just have to wait a week.

Rank Lists Due on the 12th!

Get your rank lists in. Don't leave it until the last second. Nothing is going to change between today and tomorrow.

Ten days to go.

Everyone is sure I am going to match but me. Its weird. I would hate to call it a premonition but I am worried based on a number of reasons. This is a totally different feeling than the one I had for the general surgery match. I was absolutely positive I would match exactly where I wanted for general surgery. I just don't know for plastic surgery. I've met so many extraordinary individuals that there simply can't be enough spots for everyone who deserves one. It is really going to be an aweful day for about 75% of us. I hope that I match but I wouldn't wish not matching on anyone else.

One thing is certain. I will keep trying if I don't make it this time. I have devoted my entire adult life to becoming a plastic surgeon and I am never giving up that goal. I may be the guy you see with like 13 fellowships but I am going to get there eventually.

T-11 days

Rank lists are almost due. I hope everyone is getting their lists in. Only 11 days left.

T- 2 weeks

Just 2 weeks until most people will find out where they matched. Oddly I'm not really that nervous. Its not that I am confident that I will match, but I am OK with it if I don't. It just means that I will have to do an extra fellowship before plastic surgery instead of after.

Tulane Fellow's Study

The guys at Tulane have a survey study going on right now of the plastic surgery applicant pool. It only takes a second to fill out. If you didn't get an email from them I am sure they would appreciate your input but just didn't have your address. Here is an email address of one of the fellows. vsabeeh@tulane.edu
I am sure they would appreciate hearing from you. Take a few seconds and help your future colleagues out.

T-17 Days

Nightfloat continues. I think I might be getting a little goofy. Please disregard this post and probably most of the rest of them until the match. It is 4 in the morning after all.

Traffic has picked up quite a bit on the site in the last few days. I am hoping that it is next year's class checking it out. After all the whole point of this site is to make a roadmap for future plastic surgeons.

If any of you still wants a free Ipod the offer is still good. This is the link to the site. You have to go through a little trouble to get one but it is a 20 gigabyte ipod, a 300+ dollar item. I thought it was worth the trouble. I just joined this lame book club. I needed to buy some children's books and it worked out perfectly.

Only 17 more days until the 20th. With my luck I either won't match or if I do match, the place I match at won't call me. Either way I am expecting to sweat it out until the 23rd.

T-19 Days

Happy May Day. I'm back at the hospital for night float. I had a nice day off. I played with the baby and dog. We're getting real close to being able to get her cochlear implant covered (the baby not the dog.) I'm keeping my fingers crossed for 2 things now - the match and the implant. Anyway try not to let the anxiety get too intense.

T-22 Days

2 things. First, I got a confirmation email from the SFMATCH. It had my rank list on it. Everything was correct. They give you the opportunity to call them if it isn't correct. Second, I got an email from the fellows at Tulane. They sent a link to a survey about the application/interview process. Do them a favor and fill it out. It only takes a second.

T-24

Ahh yes. I am very well settled into night float now. You should have seen my wife's reaction the first time I slept past noon on a Saturday though. As the plastic surgery match gets closer I suspect the anxiety level will increase. I started to feel just a touch last night when I was talking to another resident about it.

T-26 Days

There are 26 days left until May 20th. That is the day the programs get results and have the option of calling their new residents. I have met people who matched but didn't get a call and were freaking out until the following Monday, when the applicants can call for results.

Two things that I hope:
1) I match. Anywhere would be fine.
2) The program calls me on May 20th.

If I match there will be partying that surpasses even that at the Chattanooga pre-interview dinner.

And Its Off!

I sent my rank list for the plastic surgery match today. I managed to get a person on the telephone at SFMATCH. Here are 2 pieces of information that you need to know.

First, in the upper right hand corner of the rank list form, there is a 5 digit box for Reference #. That number is contained in the email that you got from JMckee@sfmatch.org when you registered. The email will have this line in it:

Your Matching/Registration Number is: 90-XXX

They all start with a 9.

Second, there is a box for each program that you rank that says Program #. The program number is listed to the left of the program name in the directory on sfmatch.org. For instance, Louisville's is 635.36.

Third, the rank lists are due by noon PST on May 12th.

Time to send in the rank list.

I am going to send in my rank list soon. I have to call sfmatch. I have a couple of questions about which numbers to put where etc. I met with my advisor today. He pretty much agreed with my rank list but he thought I should move a couple up and a couple down for various reasons. When I get the answers to my questions from SFMATCH I will post them here because I am sure everyone has the same questions.

Wow >11,000 hits!

I never thought I would see the day. 11,000 hits. I'm not sure if I believe that number or not.

Night Float

I am on nightfloat right now. What that means is that I work 7AM Sunday until 7AM Monday. All other days I work from 6:00 PM until 6:30 AM. I have Friday and Saturday off.

I have to say I kind of like working at night. I have done a lot of trauma and I occasionally pick up a couple of elective cases. It is a big change to go from doing 30 to 35 cases a week to doing half a dozen though.

I think I have the secret to nightfloat. You absolutely have to stay up all night so that you can sleep during the day and make the transition. I usually stay up until 4:30 AM and then catch a couple winks until signout. If you stay up all night and plan on becoming a vampire, nightfloat is no problem.

The only thing that is a little wired is the weekends. This Friday I had to take my car to the shop because an EPC light kept coming on. It turns out my catalytic converter went bad. The good news is it is covered by my warranty. Anyway I only got about 5 hours during the day on Friday. I went to bed at 9:30 but I woke up at midnight and stayed up until 4. I slept Saturday until 11AM, which was a little weird for my wife. I absolutely NEVER sleep past 7 under normal circumstances. I have to get up and get some coffee. I hate wasting the morning.

Night float is becoming a reality for most surgery programs now. If you are a level 1 trauma center you have to have a chief in house. The problem is that the attendings don't want any chiefs post-call during the week (meaning they would have to go home.) The perfect solution to the 80 hour workweek is having a night float team. I am a believer now. Our institution has had very good luck with it. The night float team gets to know every patient after a while. We have had great luck with continuity of care.

Anyway sorry for the random rambling. I don't really have any plastic surgery fellowship news at the moment. The only thing I have to report is that I am going to turn in my rank list some time this week. I still have to meet with our chairman of plastic surgery. I have met with everyone else.

May 20th is D-Day for us. Its time for us to storm the beach and see which ones of us will make the wall. I fully anticipate being machine gunned as soon as the ramp drops. I have been looking into hand fellowships.

Email list

A couple of the applicants put together an email list of applicants this year and sent it out today. It has 97 people on it. If you didn't get a copy of that list and would like it or if you would like to have your name added to it, email me and I will send it your way.

Hand Surgery

I was looking into hand surgery fellowships tonight. I found THE website for hand surgery. Check it out at:

Hand Surgery Site