Aesthetic Surgery: How Comprehensive Are Fellowship Websites?

BACKGROUND Fellowship programs heavily utilize websites in the recruitment of senior residents. Studies in subspecialty areas have demonstrated deficiencies in website content; however, no study has evaluated the websites of esthetic surgery fellowships. The recent establishment of the aesthetic fellowship match in 2018 highlights the need for accessible program information. OBJECTIVE To assess the success in accessibility of educational and recruitment content of aesthetic surgery fellowship websites for prospective applicants. METHODS Websites of aesthetic surgery fellowships were eligible for study inclusion. Aesthetic fellowship websites (AFWs) were evaluated for content regarding fellow education and fellow recruitment. Website content was analyzed using Fisher exact test and analysis of variance. RESULTS Twenty-eight programs were compiled from the American Society of Aesthetic Plastic Surgery website. Regarding fellowship education, 35.7% of AFWs described operative experience and research requirements, and 28.6% of AFWs included information on didactics, but less than 11% outlined rotation schedules, annual meetings, or academic conferences. None listed fellow evaluation criteria. Regarding recruitment information, 85.7% of AFWs had program descriptions, but less than 33% listed affiliated hospitals, faculty, or current fellows. Of the 67.9% of AFWs that listed eligibility criteria, none listed selection criteria. When programs were stratified by the type of aesthetic training offered, fellowships that offered whole-body aesthetic training had significantly more recruitment content (P = 0.0394) on their websites than those specializing in facial aesthetics only. CONCLUSIONS There is a paucity of information regarding recruitment and education on AFWs. Programs should strive to create a comprehensive website to better attract and assist residents applying for fellowship.