Department of Orthopaedic Surgery and Rehabilitation
ROTATIONS
Year One - PGY I
At Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center - Lubbock the orthopedic internship is included as part of the orthopedic program. The rotating internship exposes each resident to many different aspects of medicine including general surgery, medical intensive care, rehabilitation, emergency room medicine, and orthopedic surgery.
Month 1 (Rehab)
During this exposure to rehabilitation medicine, the residents will work as part of a medical team and learn to manage patients in a rehabilitation center. They will help monitor the patients' condition and work to prevent the complications that can accompany an extended stay in a rehab unit.
Month 2 (Medical ICU/Critical ICU)
During this rotation, the interns will work with members of the Internal Medicine staff who oversee the treatment of patients in the intensive care units at University Medical Center.
Month 3 (General Surgery/Trauma)
The orthopedic interns will rotate with the general surgery faculty. They are expected to gain knowledge regarding the care and treatment of patients with multi-system trauma both in the operating room and hospital. This team also will provide an initial exposure to vascular surgery.
Months 4-5 (General Surgery / Neurosurgery)
During this two-month period, the orthopedic interns will work with the general surgeons and the neurosurgeons at University Medical Center. They are expected to become familiar with the operating room environment, the handling of patients in this setting, and the use of CT and MRI imaging of the central nervous system.
Month 6 (General Surgery/Burns/Plastics)
This month will concentrate on patients who have suffered burn injuries and/or those requiring plastic surgery. As a level one trauma center, UMC has a burn unit that services a large region of the Texas panhandle. During this rotation, the interns are expected to develop operating room skills, particularly those required for skin grafting and the placement of muscle flaps.
Month 7 (General Surgery/Surgical ICU)
The interns should gain experience in invasive monitoring techniques and the interpretation of this information. They will be exposed to techniques required to maintain ventilatory support for critically injured individuals.
Month 8 (General Surgery/Pediatric surgery)
The interns will gain information regarding the management of fluid and electrolytes in pediatric surgical patients, become familiar with the operating room techniques required to manage pediatric patients, and understand how these techniques differ from the techniques used with adults.
Month 9 (General Surgery/Emergency Room)
The residents will gain experience suturing lacerations and making appropriate decisions regarding the care of emergency room patients.
Months 10-12 (Orthopedics)
This initial exposure to Orthopedics is intended to build knowledge and experience regarding the care of orthopedic patients in the emergency room, outpatient setting, hospital, and clinic.
Years Two & Three: PGY II and III (Junior Residents)
Months 1-3 (Orthopedic Trauma)
The residents will gain increased exposure to the care of orthopedic patients in the emergency room setting. They will become familiar with the techniques required to reduce fractures and dislocations. The residents will learn to handle minor trauma and will demonstrate appropriate decision-making skills regarding the treatment of individuals with major trauma.
Months 4-9 (Hand)
During this initial exposure to hand surgery, the residents will become familiar with commonly used surgical approaches to the hand. Basic knowledge should be gained in the management of patients with arthritic complications. The residents will demonstrate appropriate skills in tendon repair and the management of patients with fractures of the hand.
Months 10-12 (Sports)
The residents will learn to perform a history and physical evaluation of an injured athlete, and to answer questions from the athletes, their families, trainers, and coaches.
Months 13-15 (Adult Reconstruction/Joint Replacement)
The residents will gain knowledge regarding the various surgical approaches for exposure of the hip and knee and the placement, positioning and draping of a patient for operation.
Months 16-18 (Pediatric Orthopedics)
The rotation will include both the evaluation and treatment of pediatric patients in the clinic as well as surgical procedures.
Months 19-21 (Foot)
During this rotation, the residents will develop an appreciation for the foot problems that often occur in individuals with diabetes mellitus. They should learn to perform ankle and foot exams, appropriate orthotic management of common foot problems, and local anesthetic injections in the outpatient setting.
Months 22-24 (Pathology)*
The residents on this rotation will be responsible for presenting the tumor cases at the Core Conference. They will gain experience in surgical care with patients diagnosed with benign and malignant musculoskeletal tumors.
Months 22-24 (Research)*
The research conducted by the residents can be either clinical or basic science in nature. Retrospective studies are discouraged. The department has committed to fund $1,000.00 per resident project.
*The research and pathology are completed together thus accounting for the 24 months of the PGY II and PGY III years.
Years Four & Five: PGY IV and PGY V (Senior Residents)
During the PGY IV and PGY V years, the residents will continue to read appropriate textbooks and journal articles. They will lead discussions and demonstrate increasing levels of insight into new and innovative articles covering both clinical and basic science topics. They will take lead roles in the discussions held at the journal club meetings and conferences. They will also help supervise and direct the activities of the junior residents and interns during their rotations.
Months 1-3 (Orthopedic Trauma)
As senior residents, they are expected to take a lead role in the management of patients admitted to the orthopedic service through the emergency room. The resident should make independent decisions regarding patient care by the end of their PGY V year and assist junior residents in all aspects of trauma management. |
Months 4-6 (Hand and Upper Extremity)
The residents should demonstrate appropriate treatment of hand injuries requiring external fixation devices. The residents should also demonstrate the ability to perform micro vascular surgery, tendon repair, and repair of transected nerves.
Months 7-9 (Spine)
During this rotation, the residents will gain insight into the management of patients with spinal injury. This should include the ability to diagnose spinal disorders and recommend surgical or non-surgical treatment, as appropriate.
Months 10-12 (Pediatric Orthopedic Surgery)
During this rotation the surgical staff will provide in-depth training in pediatric orthopedic care.
Months 13-15 (Sports)
During this rotation, the residents will formulate a differential diagnosis based on the available information and recommend appropriate treatment. The residents should be able to demonstrate diagnostic and surgical skills with the arthroscope.
Months 16-18 (Adult Reconstruction/Joint Replacement)
The residents should demonstrate the ability to work independently when making appropriate decisions regarding patient care. This should include the ability to manage patients with rheumatoid and osteoarthritis as well as those who have suffered traumatic injury.
Months 19-21 (Hand and Upper Extremity)
At this level of training, the residents are expected to make independent decisions regarding the care and treatment of patients. Frequently, they will work with the faculty to train junior residents. They will assist in completing micro vascular surgery cases and free flaps.
Months 22-24 (Adult Reconstruction/Joint Replacement)
The residents will be able to work independently with minimal assistance while performing joint replacement surgeries. The residents will provide training to the junior residents. They will take responsibility for all aspects of the patients' care.
Department Sponsored Courses
PG I: Total Hip, Dallas Orthotics and Prosthetics
PG II: A-O Basic Resident Course
PG III: Musculoskeletal Tumor Course
PG IV: AAOS Vail Total Hip