In this week's edition
- ✍️ Letter from P'Fella
Technical Skills trump ethics (apparently) - 🤓 The Sunday Quiz + Leaderboard
How well do you know Syndactyly? - 🎈 Upcoming Events
9 events in next 6 months. - 🍴 New: Surgical Techniques
Incisions, Designs, Dissections, Repairs & more - 🔥 3 New Articles with summaries!
Ring Avulsions, Thumb UCL Repair, Seymour Fracture. - 💕 Feedback
Suggest ideas & give feedback!
A Letter from P'Fella
Technical Skills trump ethics (apparently)
What Qualities Do You Value Most in a Consultant or Attending? It's easy to focus on what leaders expect from us, but what do we really look for in them? Here’s a dive into the traits that make a consultant stand out:
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Before you read on, take a quick second: What qualities do you really value in your consultant or attending?
We often think about what consultants and attendings expect from us, but let's flip the script: What makes us really trust and value their leadership? To get some solid insights, I dove into the latest research. I found a compelling study in PRS Global Open (Sendek et al, 2023) that gives us a clear picture
The chart really lays out how priorities shift in plastic surgery training from students to faculty:
- Faculty: They really zero in on being "Technically Sound" (65%) and "Ethical" (55%). This was surprising? When you're leading surgeries and making big decisions, you've got to have the skills followed by integrity (apparently).
- Residents: These are kind of in the middle ground. They still care a lot about technical skills (53%), but there's also a big nod towards being "Emotionally Intelligent" (42%) and "Adaptable" (37%). It’s about handling the pressures of surgery and adapting to whatever the OR throws at you.
- Students: Here it’s all about being a "Collaborative/team player" (54%) and "Compassionate/empathetic" (39%). When you’re just starting out, the focus is really on getting along well with others and understanding patients’ needs. Also, "Culturally Competent" popping up (29%) shows they're tuning into the broader world's diversity, which is pretty crucial.
As careers progress, the emphasis shifts from mastering interpersonal skills to honing technical and ethical expertise. It’s intriguing to see how the valued traits evolve with increasing responsibilities in plastic surgery.
P'Fella ❤️
tl;dr
Essential traits valued in plastic surgery vary by training level—faculty focus on technical skill and ethics, residents balance technical skills with emotional intelligence and adaptability, while students emphasize teamwork, empathy, and cultural competence
The Sunday Quiz
How well do you know syndactyly?
Each edition of thePlasticsPaper includes a quiz question designed to challenge and engage our readers. Keep your wits about you and join in every week—the winner at the end six rounds will earn you a $100 voucher.
Good luck!
Upcoming Events
A Curated List of Webinars, Courses & Conferences
Behind the ‘Fella
Launching in 2 weeks
We're excited to take you behind the scenes at ThePlasticsFella with our brand-new podcast! We'll share exclusive insights from our team meetings and dive into complex topics with top experts in the field.
Just last week, you helped choose our new logo.. and here is the winner!
Get Notified Early
New Feature
Surgical Techniques are now live!
Explore our new feature: a guide to plastic surgery techniques!
This comprehensive resource covers surgical preparation, execution, and post-operative care. Designed for surgeons and medical students alike, it includes detailed steps, visual aids, and expert insights.
Currently in the experimentation phase, we welcome your feedback to enhance its utility. This collection will be growing over time!
Surgical Checklist
✅ Prepare: Regional or general anaesthesia, tourniquet, loupes.
✅ Design: ulnar mid-axial side distal to dorsal-ulnar border proximal.
✅ Dissect: Protect dorsal nerve, incise aponeurosis, capsulotomy.
✅ Primary Repair: ligament-ligament, ligament-periosteum.
✅ Close: Layered closure of capsule, aponeurosis & skin.
✅ Post-Op: Elevation, analgesia, immobilization, hand Therapy.
Articles of the Week
3 Interesting Articles with 1 sentence summaries.
This new surgical technique repairs fingertip degloving injuries effectively using artificial dermis combined with a medial flap from the second toe. This preserves toenail integrity, finger length, and function.
Find out how regardless of the method used, effective postoperative results can be achieved for thumb ulnar collateral ligament ruptures.
How does early debridement within 48 hours and prophylactic antibiotics significantly reduce infection risks in pediatric Seymour fractures?
