An Evaluation of the Value of Plastic Surgery Mission Trips in Resident Education by Attending Physicians

Addressing Surgical Care Disparities: Residents’ Involvement in Global Mission Trips

“…Several organizations including American Cleft Palate-Craniofacial Association, ReSurge International, Operation Smile, and many others sponsor global mission trips. 11 Residents can obtain the approval of their residency program and need faculty supervision to have the international rotation considered as part of their clinical residency training rather than allotted vacation time. 8 Fellowships in global surgery such as the Regan Fellowship, the Sterling-Bunnell Fellowship, and others pursued during professional development years can provide valuable training in this area.…”

“…Several factors have to be considered including but not limited to health/malpractice insurance, rotation schedules, vacation times, resources on-site, attending supervision, visas, and many more. 11,14 Residency programs and respective external organizations conducting these trips can assist residents in planning. Of pivotal importance is that the participating residents obtain travel documentation for the place of visit and complete any pretravel vaccination requirements.…”

“…Several factors have to be considered including but not limited to health/malpractice insurance, rotation schedules, vacation times, resources on-site, attending supervision, visas, and many more 11,14 . Residency programs and respective external organizations conducting these trips can assist residents in planning.…”

“…Another option for residents are organizations that sponsor international trips independent of residency programs. Several organizations including American Cleft Palate-Craniofacial Association, ReSurge International, Operation Smile, and many others sponsor global mission trips 11 . Residents can obtain the approval of their residency program and need faculty supervision to have the international rotation considered as part of their clinical residency training rather than allotted vacation time 8 .…”

The Present Status of Global Mission Trips in Plastic Surgery Residency Programs

“…1 This has provided many medical and surgical residents exposure to different healthcare environments and hands-on experience in providing humanitarian care to an underprivileged population. The value of mission trips has recently been surveyed by Simmons et al 2 suggesting increased educational benefit for residents and better outcomes and quality of care for patients; however, the educational experience from all of the medical mission trips is not the same. The availability of mission trips at many institutions is presently limited by already-existing infrastructure, with little thought given to venturing outside traditional sites that have been established for many years in the past.…”