Prospective plastic surgery and vascular surgery residents now have the opportunity to test-drive the Yale experience, from a distance. The new sub-internship (sub-I) programs, developed by Drs. Michael Alperovich, Adnan Prsic, and Jonathan Cardella, together with Yale School of Medicine and hospital leadership, give fourth-year medical students a concentrated two-week preview of surgical residency at Yale, while learning basic principles of a surgical discipline, virtually.
Traditionally, a sub-I is immersive in-person experience. However, the pandemic’s current travel bans and visitation restrictions render in-person training prior to the 2021 match implausible.
“COVID-19 has presented an unusual challenge for graduating medical students considering where to take residency. The in-person sub-internship is so valuable to students and we wanted to ensure that students considering Yale, were still offered that opportunity,” said Plastic Surgery Clerkship Director, Dr. Michael Alperovich.
More than 30 students applied for the plastic surgery virtual sub-I. Eleven students from eleven universities were accepted to the program, which was held in July. The digital curriculum included live stream surgeries across the plastic surgery discipline, including craniofacial, microsurgery, hand, cutaneous malignancy, and cosmetic surgery. Resident-led educational activities, small-group lectures with Faculty, and tours of the medical campus provided valuable cultural context.
“Importantly, the students got a chance to meet the attendings and residents they might one day call colleagues,” said Associate Program Director for the plastic surgery residency, Dr. Adnan Prsic. “We had several follow up emails for students who want to continue to engage in research this year. This is a great tool for recruitment. “
Program Director for the vascular surgery residency, Dr. Jonathan Cardella, modeled a similar virtual sub-I for students, to be held in September.
“Collaborating with program directors from other specialties has tremendous benefits. We can exchange insights, share the capital costs, and hopefully publish our findings,” said Dr. Cardella.
The Department of Surgery Research Advisory Committee recently awarded the virtual sub-I leadership team with COVID-19 Clinical Research Seed Funding for their proposal, “Medical Student Education During Covid-19: Redefining Surgical Visiting Rotations.” The $5,000 grant will help to support the development, and assess the impact of the virtual curriculum on residency recruitment.