Program Curriculum

Plastic Surgery Education Conference - Every Wednesday 7am - 9am - Attendance Required

Grand Rounds, Case Conference and M&M

Grand Rounds, 7am - 8am - 45 minute discussions with slide presentation on the assigned topics followed by Q&A and group discussion.  Grand Rounds will focus on current plastic surgery topics that mirror the PSEN curriculum and more.  Residents may expect topic assignments for presentation, up to one per month.


Curriculum Topics

  • General Principles of Plastic Surgery
  • Cosmetic Surgery
  • Pediatric Plastic Surgery / Pediatric Craniofacial Surgery
  • Facial Plastics
  • Reconstructive / Microsurgery
  • Head & Neck Surgery
  • Aesthetic Surgery
  • Lasers and Fillers
  • Hand Surgery
  • Transgender Surgery
  • Burn & Wound
  • Hand / Orthopedic / Trauma

Case Conference -  8am - 9am - Residents are required to present in Case Conference each week with a prepared, 1-2 cases each in slide presentation format, including photos, from the previous week's cases and provide evidence based examples of alternative approaches to the same.

M&M (3rd Wednesday of Month), 8am - 9am - Residents will lead the discussion for M&M. The talk will focus on 3-6 patient examples (1-2 per resident) of recent complications and evidence-based examples of how to avoid or better-approach a similar event.

Journal Club

Last Wednesday of Month, 7am - 8am (Quarterly) - Each resident will be assigned 1-2 article(s) with topics relevant to Plastic Surgery.  Each will be expect to present the pertinent highlights of the article to the group for open discussion.

First Tuesday of the Month, 5p-7p (Quarterly) - Set in a social setting off campus, allows residents to relax away from campus, enjoy a meal and discuss articles with topics relevant to Plastic Surgery. 

Resident Core Conference

Every Thursday, 7a-8a - Faculty lead conference designed around the PSEN CoreQuest curriculum. 

Cadaver Lab

Quarterly Anatomy Lab - Faculty lead plastic surgery simulation and techniques.  Each lab focuses on a specific area of the body as outlined in the lab curriculum. Labs generally run four (or more) hours and utilize both human cadavers and other simulation techniques.

In-Service Exam

1st Thursday of March - Each resident will be expected to complete the annual In-Service Exam administered by the American Society of Plastic Surgery (ASPS). The exam is scheduled annually on the 1st Thursday in March. It is a 5.5 hour exam taken on the UNMC campus and proctored by the program. Residents are expected to achieve a minimum score at or above the national average for residents of the same PGY level.