University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics Program

Program Identity & Fit

The University of Iowa's integrated Plastic Surgery residency is a small, single-resident-per-year academic program (six years, one trainee per class) based at a tertiary university medical center with additional rotations at the Iowa City VA. The six-year curriculum builds a broad general surgery and surgical subspecialty foundation (trauma, vascular, transplant, SICU, oncology) before layering in hand, oculoplastics, ENT, OMFS, and dermatology exposure, reflecting a comprehensive, foundations-first approach rather than early narrow specialization. Scholarly activity is structurally embedded rather than optional: residents are expected to complete at least one presentable project every year, supported by a broader departmental Surgical Outcomes Research Group. The program emphasizes a close-knit, family-like culture (seasonal retreats, small class size) within a Big Ten university town, suggesting it values residents who thrive in tight-knit, longitudinal mentorship environments over high-volume, anonymous training settings.