Fracture Conference
A daily preoperative/postoperative fracture conference is held from 6:30-7:30 am and forms the foundation of the fellowship educational mission.
Preoperative plans are explored in depth, including approach, reduction strategies, fixation sequence, alternative treatment options and postoperative protocols. Postoperative radiographs are subjected to daily peer review, execution tactics are discussed in detail, and pertinent literature is reviewed.
Journal Club and Morbidity & Mortality Conference
Fellows are responsible for accumulating three to four articles from peer-reviewed journals for discussion at monthly Journal Club. Journal club is frequently held at facultys’ homes. Although the Journal Club is specific to orthopaedic trauma, other faculty, residents, and medical students department-wide are invited to the traditionally well-attended event. Also held on a monthly basis is the department’s Morbidity and Mortality meeting.
Indications, Research and Multidisciplinary Conferences
Fellows are responsible for content of a monthly Indications Conference, held for one hour on Tuesday mornings, in which controversial topics are encouraged to be presented. This conference has fellows present cases in the style of the ABOS Part II oral exam so that fellows get sufficient practice and case presentation tips.
Research conference also occurs monthly. This conference is a time where faculty and fellows discuss ongoing research projects from retrospective chart reviews to multicenter randomized controlled trials. This dedicated time specifically aids the fellows on keeping pace towards completion of their research project and provides regular review of progress.
There is a monthly case review conference with multiple hospital services, including General Surgery Trauma, Neurosurgery, Anesthesia, and Emergency Medicine.
Wednesday morning protected educational time is reserved for scientific and clinical didactic presentations that covers a comprehensive year-long curriculum. In addition to injury focused grand rounds (eg, tibial plateau fractures) other topics covered include Care of the Multiply Injured Orthopaedic Trauma Patients, Pain Management in Orthopaedic Trauma, the Economics of Healthcare, and many more.
National Courses
Each fellow attends the annual Orthopedic Trauma Association Meeting, one of the annual pelvic dissection courses, and one of the Orthopaedic Trauma Fellows’ courses.
Cadaver Labs
An on-site cadaver lab is held several times a year, with each session taught by one or two faculty members. These labs include: acetabulum and pelvis dissection and percutaneous fixation with fluoroscopy; shoulder and elbow; knee, including distal femur and proximal tibia; and foot and ankle.
Protected Time
One afternoon a week from 1-5 pm constitutes a fellow’s protected research time. The day of the week allotted for this research time rotates monthly based on clinic schedules.