The assigned rotations during the PGY 2 and 3 years of Orthopaedic training are at Duke, the Durham Veterans Administration Hospital (a Dean’s unit), and Durham Regional Hospital. At each hospital, residents are assigned to teams concentrating on adult and pediatric orthopaedic surgery, which includes spinal surgery, microvascular surgery, sports medicine, oncology/rehabilitation, adult and pediatric trauma, adult reconstruction, foot and ankle, and hand/upper extremity including replantation. Each resident is assigned to a rotation in Basic Science during the second year, and this rotation includes teaching experience in orthopaedic anatomy and pathology.

 

The full-time Orthopaedic Faculty at Duke participates in resident training, private practice, clinical and laboratory research, community medical activities, and in outlying clinics which provide adjunctive orthopaedic service throughout the State of North Carolina. Residents participate actively in these clinics, as well as research projects undertaken by faculty members.

 

Each faculty member is devoted to one or more subspecialties which include amputation management, anatomy, arthritis, arthroscopy, complex trauma, foot surgery, hand and upper extremity reconstruction, joint implants, microvascular/transplantation surgery, orthopaedic oncology, pediatric orthopaedics, scoliosis, spinal cord injuries, spine disease and injury, and sports medicine.

 

Research rotations are possible through the Orthopaedic Research Laboratories, which are supervised by faculty members, and coordinated and administered by full-time laboratory personnel. The main areas of research are cartilage repair and tissue engineering, biomechanics of joints and joint implants, cell biology, imaging of the musculoskeletal system, intervertebral disc degeneration and repair, outcomes studies, nerve and muscle regeneration, arthritis, and prosthetics. Resident participation in research projects are an important component in this program.

 

Resident clinical work is supervised by faculty members, and each resident receives graduated responsibility in managing orthopaedic patients in the clinics and in the operating room. Residents participate in instructing medical students, physical therapists, physicians’ associates, undergraduate students, and other orthopaedic residents. This teaching experience is an important aspect of their orthopaedic training. Over 12,000 orthopaedic surgical procedures are performed at Duke each year and over 80,000 out-patients are seen. A broad operative and clinic experience are also received at the affiliated hospitals. During the PGY-4 year of orthopaedic training, one-half of the residents complete six months of pediatric orthopaedics at the Children's Healthcare of Atlanta at Scottish Rite in Atlanta, Georgia under the supervision of Dr. Jorge A. Fabregas, three months sports medicine experience at Duke and three months of adult and rehabilitation experience at the Durham Veterans Administration Hospital. The other PGY-4 residents receive six months of pediatric orthopaedics at Duke under Dr. Robert D. Fitch, and six months of adult and rehabilitation experience at the Asheville, NC Veterans Administration Hospital under the supervision of Dr. Milton B. Lambert.

 

Ample clinical and operating room experience is assured for each resident due to the large patient population. The resident has a unique opportunity to learn orthopaedics in the operating room, the out-patient clinics, ward rounds, and in formal and informal conferences. Residents and Faculty have continuous dialogue. Duke University Hospital is a Level I Trauma Center, and an abundant influx of polytraumatized patients are treated.