In this week's edition
- ✍️ Letter from P'Fella
Are we not operating enough? Solutions. - 🤓 Study on Sunday
Describing a cleft lip (+new quiz!) - 🎭 Upcoming Events
17 webinars, courses and conferences. - 📸 NEW: Image of the Week
An original AI-generated cleft lip. - 🐣 Tweets of the Week
P'Fella's 3 favourite tweets - 🚀 New Features
Clinical cases! Do the first one! - 📝 Articles of the Week
Flaps, carpal tunnel, clefts and more!
Fun Fact: the average rating for thePlasticsPaper is 9.6/10. What's your take on it? Share your feedback
A Letter from P'Fella
Are we operating enough?
Have you guys seen the results of that Twitter poll about the operating frequency?
It was super interesting to see the wide range of responses, with 28% of respondents saying they operate 1-2 days per week, 28% operating 2-3 days per week, 22% operating 3-4 days per week, and 22% operating more than 4 days per week.
And it's not just a small sample size either - the poll received nearly 80 replies and was international, with a lot of departmental variation.
It was super interesting to see the wide range of responses, with 28% of respondents saying they operate 1-2 days per week, 28% operating 2-3 days per week, 22% operating 3-4 days per week, and 22% operating more than 4 days per week.
And it's not just a small sample size either - the poll received nearly 80 replies and was international, with a lot of departmental variation.
But what do these results mean for us as plastic surgery trainees and residents? That's what I want to talk to you about today.
Well, first of all, it's clear that there's a wide range of operating frequencies out there. And that makes sense - everyone's situation is different, and there are a lot of factors that can impact how often you're able to get into the operating room.
But while it's important to manage your workload and take care of yourself, it's also worth considering the benefits of operating more frequently. I mean, think about it - the more time you spend in the OR, the more experience you're going to get, and the better you're going to become at your craft. And let's face it; there's no substitute for the real thing when it comes to plastic surgery.
Well, first of all, it's clear that there's a wide range of operating frequencies out there. And that makes sense - everyone's situation is different, and there are a lot of factors that can impact how often you're able to get into the operating room.
But while it's important to manage your workload and take care of yourself, it's also worth considering the benefits of operating more frequently. I mean, think about it - the more time you spend in the OR, the more experience you're going to get, and the better you're going to become at your craft. And let's face it; there's no substitute for the real thing when it comes to plastic surgery.
💡
Research Idea: I reviewed PubMed and Google Scholar to see if there is any current literature on the frequency of surgery - to the best of my knowledge, there isn't much out there!
So, what can you do if you want to increase your operating frequency? One option is to seek out opportunities to assist on cases or to take on additional cases whenever possible. Collaborating with your colleagues and working as a team can also be a big help in increasing the number of cases you can complete in a week. And finding ways to make the operating room more efficient, like using technology or streamlining processes, can help you get more done in less time.
But it's not all about working harder and taking on more cases. It's also important to find a good balance and make time for yourself outside of work. It's easy to get caught up in the hustle and bustle of surgery, but it's crucial to take breaks and find ways to decompress. Trust me, your colleagues and your patients will thank you for it.
So there you have it - a rundown of the poll results and some thoughts on what they might mean for us as plastic surgery trainees and residents. I hope you found this helpful and that it gives you some food for thought.
❤️ P'Fella
But it's not all about working harder and taking on more cases. It's also important to find a good balance and make time for yourself outside of work. It's easy to get caught up in the hustle and bustle of surgery, but it's crucial to take breaks and find ways to decompress. Trust me, your colleagues and your patients will thank you for it.
So there you have it - a rundown of the poll results and some thoughts on what they might mean for us as plastic surgery trainees and residents. I hope you found this helpful and that it gives you some food for thought.
❤️ P'Fella
Study on Sunday
& compare your answers with the community.
Upcoming Events
Courses, Conferences and Webinars in 2023
Each week, P'Fella will bring you a roundup of major events, informative webinars, and fantastic courses.
- Pulvertaft - "Mallets, Baseballs & DIPJ" - Jan 9th.
- PRS Journal Club - Breast Implants Jan 15th.
- BAPRAS: Essential Skills for Juniors - 19th Jan.
- Stoke Mandeville: 30 years as a surgeon - 31st Jan
- ASRM Microsurgery Annual Meeting - Florida, 24th Jan.
- ASPS Virtual Spring Meeting - 3rd March.
- Dallas Rhinoplasty Meeting - 9th March
- Pulvertaft Hand Fracture Fixation - Derby, 22nd March.
- Rhinoplasty Society Annual Meeting - Florida, 19th April
- BAPRAS: Advances in Hand Surgery - 27th April.
- AAPS 10th Annual Meeting - Chicago, 29th April.
- Kings College - Facial Aesthetic Dissection- 4th May.
- ICOPLAST 2nd World Congress, Dubai - 5th May
- FESSH Annual Meeting - Rimini, 10th May
- ASSH Annual Meeting - Toronto, 5th October
- Plastic Surgery - The Meeting: Texas, 26th Oct
- BAPRAS Congress - 29th Nov
Image of the Week
Tweets of the Week
Don't forget to follow P'Fella!
In a 13-question survey distributed to 145 residency programs, YouTube was ranked as the primary reference in preparing for surgical procedures pic.twitter.com/QdfU4FjYt1
— Christopher Bayne (@baynece) December 24, 2022
It must be a daunting task for an immensely successful and widely respected surgeon who is inevitably facing retirement in a few years to have to deal with the consequences of not having taken care of their family life for the last three or four decades.
— George Tolis (@georgetolisjr) January 6, 2023
Hospital design committee sometime in the past
— Cliff Reid (@cliffreid) January 4, 2023
“Let’s get boxes of clinical gloves that open on top, and mount them with that surface vertically. This way, when a clinician pulls out a glove, an additional three will fall on the floor”
“Great idea - motion passed! What’s next?”
New Features
Clinical cases are now here.
Check out our new "Clinical Cases" section!
This resource features real-life clinical vignettes to help you think on the spot and delve deeper into diagnosing, managing, and treating complications. As a growing database, it will become an invaluable tool for trainees and residents accomplishing exams.
Please note: this is just a beta-version and many more updates to come!
This resource features real-life clinical vignettes to help you think on the spot and delve deeper into diagnosing, managing, and treating complications. As a growing database, it will become an invaluable tool for trainees and residents accomplishing exams.
Please note: this is just a beta-version and many more updates to come!
Articles of the Week
3 must-read articles, 1 deep-dive! 📚
3 Must-reads
- Useful Flaps for Plastic Surgeons to Know.
Neligan PC. Plast Reconstr Surg. 2023 Jan 1;151(1):148e-157e. - Carpal tunnel decompression in patients with normal NCS
Mackenzie et al. Journal of Hand Surgery (European Volume). 2020;45(3):260-264. - Management of self-harm injuries: a review of the evidence
Oakley B et al. Journal of Hand Surgery (European Volume).
Lower Lip Reconstruction
The Karapandzic flap was described in 1974 after a 5-year case series of lip defect reconstruction. This journal club critiques the methods, results and conclusions of this landmark paper
