Residency Rotation and Electives

The University of Kansas - Wichita Orthopaedic Residency Program is a five-year program with the first year as an intern year and four years of formalized orthopaedic training. The program is diverse and requires significant sophistication and maturity on the part of the resident to receive maximum benefit from the program. Although the primary teaching on each service is provided by a core faculty member, exposure to many different attendings and, thus a variety of ways to solve different orthopaedic problems are the major strengths of the program. Individual resident progress is influenced greatly by his/her interest, understanding and manual capabilities. Upon completion of the program, individuals will be eligible to take Part I of the certifying exam of the American Board of Orthopaedic Surgery. Resident rotations are usually at three-month intervals (at Shriners Hospital two three-month intervals back-to-back create a six month block as does the fifth-year Chief Resident's service). An example of a typical five-year resident rotation through our program is shown in the table below.

Via Christi Regional Medical Center/St. Francis Campus, the largest hospital in Kansas, is the setting for a significant part of the residents' training.

 

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Typical Resident Rotation

PGY-1	3 months	Basic Science
	2 months	General Surgery
	1 month	Orthopaedics
	1 month	Plastic Surgery
	1 month	Emergency Room
	1 month	Pediatrics
	2 months	Internal Medicine
	1 month	Elective
PGY-2	3 months	Spine Surgery
	3 months	Adult Orthopaedics and Rehabilitation-V.A.
	6 months	Fracture/Trauma
PGY-3	3 months	Adult Orthopaedics
	6 months	Fracture/Trauma
	3 months	Pediatric Orthopaedics
	3 months	Hand Surgery
PGY-4	6 months	Shriners-Pediatrics Orthopaedics
	3 months	Adult Orthopaedics-V.A.
	3 months	Fracture/Trauma
PGY-5	6 months	Chief Resident SFRMC/WMC
	3 months	Pediatric Orthopaedics
	3 months	Fracture/Trauma-Adult

An elective rotation or an exchange fellowship for three months is possible during the five years. Eligibility depends on the structure of the rotation, resident needs and resident performance. Both in 1988 and 1989 Wichita residents were selected by the Mid-America Orthopaedic Association Traveling Fellowship Program and several residents have served three-month rotations at the Hospital Civil in Guadalajara, Mexico.

There is a well-stocked medical library at St. Francis as well as Wesley Medical Center with additional library facilities, including interlibrary privileges at the medical school, convenient to both hospitals. In addition, the H. O. Marsh Orthopaedic Resource Center stocks a large selection of current journals, textbooks, audio and video tapes, and Kodachrome slides. Beginning in 1996 residents will be expected to rely heavily on computer sources for data access and management.Computer facilities, including CD-ROM are available in the residents study areas at both St. Francis and Wesley.

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The Motorskills Laboratories are available for use at any time in addition to formal sessions set up for small group tutorials in basic orthopaedic procedures and techniques. The availability of the Orthopaedic Research Laboratory has been mentioned above. Residents are required to complete both a case report and a full fledged research project and are encouraged to present their work at a national conference and to publish their findings in a peer reviewed journal. The department sponsors the resident to attend all national and regional meetings at which they present a paper, subject to approval of the research committee. The department also sponsors a resident's attendance for at least one annual meeting of the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons. Residents are further expected to attend one instructional type course per year at the department's expense. An orthotic/prosthetic course is mandatory and attendance at a Basic A-O Residents Course, a musculoskeletal tumor course and a board review course are strongly recommended. It is usually possible, at the Director's discretion, for residents to attend other courses at their own expense.

Last Modified: March 26, 2008