Specialty-specific review for Plastic Surgery (Integrated) (Plastics) applicants. Matched applicants averaged Step 2 CK 256. We help you meet that bar.
The patterns reviewers flag most often when screening Plastic Surgery (Integrated) candidates.
Insufficient plastic surgery publications (matched mean ~35 abstracts/publications)
No away rotation or sub-I at a plastics program
Step 2 CK below 250 (matched mean 256)
Weak letters not from plastic surgery faculty
Applying without a demonstrated research year or productivity
Volume and quality of plastics-specific publications
Sub-internship performance with direct attending assessment
Strong letter from an integrated plastics PD
Step 2 CK above 250
Surgical case exposure and manual dexterity indicators
Three concrete moves we'll work through with you, drawn from current NRMP / Charting Outcomes data.
Budget time for a dedicated research year in a plastics lab with a goal of ≥2 publications — matched MDs average ~8.6 research experiences and ~34.7 total outputs.
Do 2 away rotations at programs where you aim to rank in your top 5; plastic surgery PDs rely heavily on direct sub-I observations given small cohort sizes.
Apply to all ~91 programs; the field offers only 221 PGY-1 positions nationally and fills at 100%, so broader coverage increases interview volume.
We'll pair you with a reviewer who's served on Plastic Surgery (Integrated) selection committees. Your personal statement, CV, and signal strategy — line-edited against the bar above.
Data sourced from NRMP / AAMC, NRMP / AAMC. Match year 2025.