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  UTCom Chattanooga - Orthopaedic Surgery Residency Overview

Orthopaedic Surgery Residency Program Overview

Click on the graphic to the left to view a short video about our programs and Chattanooga.



Our Orthopaedic Surgery Residency is a five-year program, beginning with the PGY-1 level, with three positions at each level.  Our program is fast-paced and provides comprehensive training in adult and pediatric orthopaedic surgery.  The Department of Orthopaedic Surgery also sponsors a one-year Orthopaedic Trauma Fellowship for residents who have completed an Orthopaedic Surgery Residency.



Orthopaedic Surgery rotations at the PGY-1 level include six months of surgery including trauma, two months of orthopaedics, and four months of other rotations consistent with directives of the Residency Review Committee.   Each rotation is directed by a chief (a fellowship-trained faculty member). 

  

The remaining four years provide clinical orthopaedic training in subspecialty areas:

Arthroplasty
Foot and Ankle
Hand Surgery
Pediatric Orthopaedics
Spine Surgery
Sports Medicine
Trauma

A four-month rotation at the Baptist Hospital in Nashville gives senior residents additional experience in elective orthopaedic surgery an arthroscopy. 

Didactic and basic science elements of the program include:
  • Five hours of conferences per week.
  • Monthly journal club
  • Attendance at courses in basic trauma, musculoskeletal pathology, prosthetics and orthotics, and basics in arthroscopy.
  • Chief residents attend the annual AAOS meeting and an orthopaedic board review course.
  • An institutional Core Curriculum that has been developed for education in issues that affect all residents

Orthopaedic residents are an integral part of the Level I Adult and Pediatric Trauma Center.  The one-year Orthopaedic Trauma Fellowship experience emphasizes pelvic and periarticular fractures.
 

The institution has a Surgical Skills and Simulation Lab where basic surgical skills are taught and practiced during the PGY-1 level.  Cadaver anatomy sessions are also held in the lab.  The Skills Lab is being expanded to include a Simulation Lab for 2008-2009.

The Department of Orthopaedic Surgery has its own library as well as a four-station arthroscopic/ technical skills lab pictured here.
 
The Department of Orthopaedic Surgery has joined the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga Department of Engineering in the operation of a biomedical research lab, including studies utilizing the Instron machine and Fastrak System.  A new MTS Mini Bionix testing system is due to be installed in our lab in April 2008.

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We invite you to consider our residency and contact us regarding our interview schedule.  We accept residency applications only through the Electronic Residency Application Service (ERAS), via the Association of American Medical Colleges (AAMC).

Inquiries about the Orthopaedic Trauma Fellowship should be addressed via to Dr. Joe Rudd (Joe.Rudd@erlanger.org) or Donna Gibson (Donna.Gibson@erlanger.org) or by contacting the Department at (423) 778-9008.