Orthopaedic Surgery Residency

Program Overview

The University of Connecticut School of Medicine offers an accredited five-year training program in orthopaedic surgery. The program gives residents a broad exposure to musculoskeletal disease and the ultimate goal is the development of skills necessary to provide excellent patient care as practicing academic or community orthopaedic surgeons.

The residency program in orthopaedic surgery at the UConn School of Medicine is designed for residents to obtain graduated levels of responsibility with each surgical rotation. The residents develop an understanding of musculoskeletal disease from both a clinical and basic science perspective. They will encounter a full range of challenging adult and pediatric orthopaedic cases as they rotate through the hospitals affiliated with the residency: the UConn Health Center (John Dempsey Hospital and the Farmington Surgery Center), the Connecticut Children’s Medical Center, Hartford Hospital and Saint Francis Hospital and Medical Center. The PGY-1 year is under the direction of the orthopaedic program. In addition to the four hospital sites listed above, PGY-1 residents also rotate at The Hospital of Central Connecticut. The PGY-1 residents have a special two-month orthopaedic curriculum that begins in the spring and serves as their introduction to orthopaedic surgery.

Residents work with full-time and voluntary clinical faculty that are fellowship trained in all subspecialties of orthopaedic surgery including adult reconstruction, pediatrics, trauma, sports medicine, spine, musculoskeletal oncology, shoulder, elbow, and hand. The full-time and voluntary clinical faculty are strongly committed to providing residents with an exceptional educational experience.

The Residency

Throughout the program, there is an excellent operative experience and a thorough exposure to both operative and non-operative orthopaedic patient care. The educational experience for the residents is one of the strongest in the nation. The Core Curriculum is the foundation of the department’s teaching initiatives. It is a comprehensive two-year curriculum and the goal is to teach the residents how to integrate the clinical and basic science aspects of musculoskeletal disease to enhance patient care. All residents including the PGY-1 residents attend this weekly conference. All lectures are given by the faculty. The Core Curriculum also includes a bi-monthly bioskills laboratory where residents learn to perform surgical procedures including knee and shoulder arthroscopy. Other conferences include a monthly Chairman’s Conference that focuses on evidence based medicine and a monthly Journal Club. The Hartford Orthopaedic Forum has recently been expanded and serves as the Department’s Grand Rounds. The Forum meets on a monthly basis and nationally recognized orthopaedic surgeons are the guest speakers. Attendance is mandatory for all residents and full-time faculty at these educational events.

The residents are sent to the AO Basic Principles and Techniques of Operative Fracture Management Course during their PGY-1 or PGY-2 year. During the PGY-5 year the residents attend the Boston Pathology Course, the annual meeting of the Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons, and the Maine Orthopaedic Surgery Board Review Course. Residents attend other courses during the course of their residency and are encouraged to submit their research work for presentation at various scientific meetings.

Upon completing the program, the orthopaedic resident possesses an excellent fund of knowledge and is able to practice medicine in a mature and competent fashion. Many of our residents further their education with fellowship training. The faculty are actively involved in helping the residents attain their fellowship program of choice. Residents with a special interest in research have the opportunity to spend a year in the laboratory between the PGY-2 and PGY-3 year. The UConn program is designed to encourage residents to become leaders in their chosen career of orthopaedic surgery and residents will have the skill set to be successful in either academic or community practice at the completion of the program.