Division of Plastic Surgery Hosts Third Annual ACAPS West Coast Plastic Surgery Boot Camp

The annual UC San Diego American Council of Academic Plastic Surgeons (ACAPS) West Coast Plastic Surgery Boot Camp continues to grow as 43 residents and 18 faculty from UC San Diego and across the country gathered at the Center for the Future of Surgery for a three-day weekend conference from Aug. 16-18. The third annual Boot Camp – dubbed "The Front Line of Surgery Education" – is a hands-on practicum based course to meet the needs of ongoing changes in graduate medical education for independent and integrated residents providing standardized and timely exposure to critical clinical content in Plastic Surgery.

The Boot Camp focuses on 19 high-yield topics, including Microsurgery, Rhinoplasty, Body Contouring and Liposuction, Cleft/Craniofacial, Facial Analysis and Rejuvenation, Hand Exam and Radiology/Splinting, Breast Augmentation/Reduction/Reconstruction, Perioperative Management with nine practical "hands-on," sessions all in a "low/no risk" educational environment.

Dr. Amanda Gosman, Chief of the Division of Plastic Surgery and ACAPS/ASPS Boot Camp Committee Member advocates for the global education of plastic surgery trainees and with her team works tirelessly to organize the West Coast Boot Camp each year. Dr. Gosman reiterated one of the objectives of the Boot Camp "We wanted to establish a collegial, collaborative, and supportive educational environment that fosters learning, as well as the opportunity for dynamic interaction between residents and instructors."

The Boot Camp is offered in five different locations nationally (New York, Tampa, Pittsburgh, Kansas City, and San Diego).