The Plastic Surgery Central Application versus ERAS: Which is Preferred?

Background: The Plastic Surgery Central Application (PSCA), designed to provide an equitable and streamlined application for both applicants and programs, was first designed in 2019, piloted in the 2020-21 application cycle, and is now in its fourth cycle in 2023-24. It has included preference signaling since the 2022-23 cycle, a feature in which applicants can send five "signals" to programs to express interest. We surveyed both program directors (PDs) and applicants following the 2023 match on their perceptions of PSCA versus Electronic Residency Application Service (ERAS).

The Plastic Surgery Common Application: Improving Efficiency and Reducing Inequity in the Application Process.

The residency application process is expensive, costing an average of $2149 in application fees per applicant during the 2020-2021 cycle. Additionally, the number of applications per applicant continues to rise annually across all specialties. This considerable cost creates a financial barrier for students, particularly those from first-generation and underrepresented backgrounds.

Successful prevention of secondary burn progression using infliximab hydrogel: A murine model.

Introduction: Burn injury remains a serious cause of morbidity and mortality worldwide. Severity of burns is determined by the percentage of burned area compared to the body surface area, age of patient, and by the depth of skin and soft tissue involvement; these factors determine management as well as prospective outcomes. The pathophysiology of partial- to full-thickness burn conversion remains poorly understood and is associated with a worse overall prognosis.

Pediatric Orbital Entrapment: Radiographic Findings and Their Predictive Values.

Introduction: Although orbital fractures are less common in children than adults, the literature suggests that orbital entrapment occurs more frequently in the pediatric population. Orbital entrapment is an emergency, and early diagnosis and prompt management are critical. Specific radiographic manifestations such as herniation of extraocular muscles (EOMs) through orbital fractures have led to increased suspicion and overdiagnosis of orbital entrapment.

Evaluation of Racial Microaggressions Experienced During Medical School Training and the Effect on Medical Student Education and Burnout: A Validation Study.

Introduction: Microaggressions in the learning environment have been documented at various levels of medical training. However, there is lack of data detailing the prevalence and effects of racial microaggressions in medical school. This limits interventions that might improve the learning environment for underrepresented minority medical students (URMMS).

Influence of Radiographic Soft Tissue Findings on Clinical Entrapment in Patients With Orbital Fractures.

Introduction: Radiographic assessment of facial fractures with computed tomography (CT) scanning has become standard of care. As imaging resolution has improved, findings such as herniation of extraocular muscles (EOM) have become a means of diagnosing conditions like orbital entrapment. However, the sensitivity and specificity of these findings has not been well-studied.

Eosinophil infiltration of burn wounds in young and older burn patients.

Introduction: Advanced age alters many physiological processes in the body, including both innate and adaptive immune responses, affecting burn wound healing. Previous findings in our lab led us to look more closely at eosinophil infiltration of burn tissues. We hypothesize that burn wounds within the older population present with an increased population of eosinophils than those in the younger population.

Eosinophilic recruitment in thermally injured older animals is associated with worse outcomes and higher conversion to full thickness burn.

Background: Partial burn injury in older patients is associated with higher rates of morbidity, mortality, and conversion to full thickness burn (Finnerty et al., 2009; Pham et al., 2009).

An Evaluation of Emergency Hand Coverage in Tennessee After Implementation of the Affordable Care Act.

Although the upper extremity is the most commonly injured part of the body, many studies have indicated that there is a lack of emergency hand coverage in the United States. In 2010, our laboratory evaluated on-call hand coverage in Tennessee (TN) and found that only 7% of hospitals had a hand surgeon on call for emergency cases at all times. In 2014, the Affordable Care Act (ACA) was implemented with the goal of increasing overall access to care and decreasing health care costs.