Plastic Surgery Residency FAQs

Q: Do you sponsor visas for international medical graduates (IMGs)?

A: Certain programs sponsor visas. Please check program-specific information for details.

Q: Is clinical or research experience in the United States required to apply?

A: We do not require clinical or research experience, however this sort of experience will help strengthen an application.

Q: Do you offer clinical shadowing, observerships, externships, etc?

A: We do not offer these sorts of experiences at LVHN.

Q: Do you get a lot of experience operating? Do you have any issues reaching your required numbers of cases?

A: We do not have any issues reaching our required numbers of cases for graduation, if anything we exceed what is expected and you will start operating day one.  We are a strong program that strives to provide as much learning opportunities in the operating room to fully prepare you for practice after residency.

Q: Can you go to conferences in your first year? Are you limited to only one?

A: We are able to go to conferences starting year one and there is funding available to help compensate your travels.  You can even attend more conferences if you are presenting!

Q: How does call work as an integrated Plastic Surgery Residency?

A: We take call for general surgery during our first year and our schedule is mainly made by the general surgery services.  During your second year you will take “buddy” call with a senior resident to provide hands-on guidance as you respond to ED calls and floor pages. Then from year 3 to year 6, you take solo plastic surgery call.

Q: What is it like to live in and around Allentown?

A: Allentown is the 3rd largest city in PA and has a lot to offer from a minor league baseball team to a hockey team that has frequent events that are always fun to attend. We have an amusement park and a zoo. We have some great restaurants and breweries/wineries. The surrounding area includes many beautiful parks and places to hike, as well as some neat neighboring towns like Bethlehem and Easton. We are also close to New York City, Philadelphia and even the Jersey Shore if you wanted to take a day trip to the beach!