Abstract: Evolution of the Plastic Surgery Workforce

INTRODUCTION: During the 2015–2016 academic year, plastic surgery residents accounted for nearly 4.2% of surgical residents and 0.8% of residents overall. While the number of residency programs and allotted residency positions in plastic surgery have been steadily increasing in recent years, little information exists regarding residents who are accepted for plastic surgery residency but never make it to graduation. This knowledge is important for informing expectations of plastic surgery residency program directors and managing the residency programs in general. We sought to evaluate the rates of failure to graduate and associated factors.