RESIDENCY VS. INDUSTRY: A COMPARATIVE ANALYSIS OF PLASTIC AND RECONSTRUCTIVE SURGERY RESIDENCY BENEFITS WITH NON- MEDICAL HIGH-PRESSURE FIELDS
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.61841/ssgnv585Keywords:
Plastic surgery residency, resident well-being, parental leave, wellness benefits, burnoutAbstract
Introduction: Recent discourse on resident well-being in competitive surgical residency programs, such as plastic and reconstructive surgery (PRS), raises questions about the adequacy of support structures in this context relative to other high-performance professions
Objectives: To quantify these concerns, this study compares wellness-related benefits offered by residency programs to those offered by major consulting, finance, and law firms.
Methods: 51 organizations were reviewed across consulting (n=12), finance (n=14), law (n=10), and integrated PRS residency programs (n=15). Data on paid time off (PTO), parental leave, lactation accommodations, and family planning benefits (including fertility, adoption, and surrogacy support) were collected from institutional websites, human resources personnel, and program-level contracts.
Results: Mean PTO was similar across groups (24.1 ± 1.3 days; p=0.612), but unlimited PTO was offered by 75.0% of law firms and 18.2% of consulting firms, compared to none of the PRS programs (p<0.001). PRS programs offered significantly less paid primary (7.0 ± 0.9 vs. 17.2 ± 0.9 weeks; p<0.001) and non-primary (5.3 ± 1.0 vs. 13.0 ± 1.0 weeks; p<0.001) caregiver parental leave than private-sector counterparts. Family planning benefits were provided by 94.4% of private-sector companies but only 53.3% of PRS programs (p=0.004). Lactation accommodations were comparable across groups (p=0.327).
Conclusions: Integrated PRS residency programs lag peer industries in key support measures, particularly parental leave. As societal emphasis on employee well-being continues to grow, adapting policies from similarly demanding fields, while accounting for the in-person, time-constrained nature of surgical training, presents a challenge for PRS residency program directors.
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Copyright (c) 2026 Jacquelyn Roth, BA, Rachel Rohrich, BS, Bernice Yu, DO, Winnie W. Li, BS, Peter J Taub, MD, MS, Stephen B Baker, MD (Author)
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