Orthopedics
The orthopedics and sports medicine experiences for residents are divided into two separate blocks during the first year and third year. There are also lectures, workshops, and opportunities to assist with event coverage over the course of the residency.
Orthopedics
This one-month rotation occurs the first year of residency. Goals of the rotation include:
- Conducting a complete orthopedic physical exam
- Gaining proficiency in joint aspiration and analysis of joint effusion
- Gaining experience in non-operative management of contusions, sprains, and strains
- Learning basic casting and splinting skills
- Performing injection/aspiration of tendon sheaths, joints, and bursae
- Learning to prescribe appropriate exercises for strength training and evaluating and managing sports-related and recreational injuries
- Gaining basic interpretation of x-rays and appreciating the role of consultants in managing these conditions
- Clinical rotations take place within general orthopedics, physical medicine and rehabilitation, hand surgery, primary care sports medicine, and podiatry.
Sports Medicine
This one-month rotation occurs during the third year of residency. The majority of this rotation is focused on sports medicine. Goals of the rotation are to demonstrate proficiency in the acute management of sports injuries, including:
- Splinting and bracing
- Ordering and interpretation imaging studies
- Development of a rehabilitation program to assess and manage athletes with chronic or congenital orthopedic problems
- Evaluation of college students with athletic injuries from intramural, self-organized, and varsity activities
- Understanding and implementation of return-to-play criteria and functional testing for specific injuries and conditions,
- Understanding of the strategies and techniques to perform a complete exam of the major joints
- Advancement of their understanding of radiologic studies of sports injuries
- Interaction with allied health professionals including physical therapists and certified athletic trainers (ATCs) in the development of a rehabilitation program for each injured athlete
The majority of clinical exposure takes place with primary care sports medicine physicians, both in the office and in the athletic training room of an area college. Further clinical time occurs in a physical therapy office. Opportunities for sports event coverage are available both during the rotation and over the course of the year.
In 2011, we established a Sports Medicine Fellowship. The fellow has teaching responsibility for the first-year resident on the Orthopedics rotation and has enhanced the residents’ learning and procedural experiences.