Practice Management in Plastic Surgery: A Survey Comparing Skills Acquired During Residency and Those Applied in Independent Practice

Abstract

Background: Understanding the extent of practice management education within plastic surgery residency may serve to enhance elements of current curricular training.

Methods: A survey was sent to private practice plastic surgeons who completed training between 2008 and 2020. The survey elicited opinions about their practice management training during residency and experiences as attendings.

Results: Forty-nine private practice plastic surgeons completed the survey with a mean of 5 years in practice. 96% of respondents entered private practice immediately following their final training program. 48% of respondents cited "autonomy" as the primary reason for pursuing private practice. Surgeon's narrative responses regarding practice management skills learned outside of residency revealed the most grouped into the following themes: "Finance, Marketing, Accounting, Human Resources (HR), Operations" (n = 19), "Hiring, Firing, Employee Management" (n = 17), "Insurance Coverage, Billing, Coding" (n = 13), "General Skills" (n = 12), and "Starting & Running a Practice" (n = 11). 71.4% of respondents reported that they learned practice management skills from on-the-job training. Almost all respondents felt that there should be formal training in practice management (n = 35), with "Finance & Accounting" and "Management" cited as the most important skills to learn as a plastic surgeon. 51% of current surgeons felt allowing senior residents additional opportunities to rotate in private practices was the best way to enhance residency curricula.

Conclusion: Incorporating practice management skills into training curricula will address the demonstrated knowledge gap and accelerate plastic surgeons' career growth.

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Keywords: Plastic surgery education; Practice management.