Goals and Objectives

Objectives of the Fellowship

The Objectives of the Orthopaedic Trauma Fellowship are:

•    To train young orthopaedic surgeons about the intricacies of treating patients with musculoskeletal trauma, especially those that have been critically injured and/or suffered devastating injuries. Some of the intricacies include how injuries affect the overall well-being of the patient and their subsequent function.

•    To stimulate an understanding of how treatment of multiply-injured patients in a critical care setting has varying outcomes and that timing and titration of our interventions are critical in their recovery.

•    Strive to impart an understanding of how to anticipate and manage complications that may arise in the treatment of traum tic injuries.

•    Encourage a basic fund of knowledge.

•    Impart several principles of treatment, and hone a special set of surgical skills.

ln accordance with the OTA designated curriculum, our program objectives include advanced instruction in principles of orthopaedic trauma including:

•    Basic science of trauma

•    Damage control and care of the severely injured patient

•    Indications for various types of internal and external fixation

•    Indications for limb salvage

•    Diagnosis and management of complications

•    Current research methods in orthopaedic trauma

•    Specific education on the business aspects of an orthopaedic trauma practice

•    The interdisciplinary relationship between various members of the trauma team including, but not limited to, trauma and critical care, anesthesia, neurosurgery, plastics, vascular, urology, and physical medicine and rehabilitation.

•    The pathophysiology of the multiply injured patient in addition to the associated vascular, neurological, urological, respiratory and metabolic disorders.

•    Principles of management of severe soft tissue injuries and compartment syndrome.

•    Principles of post-traumatic reconstructive surgery, including joint and ligament replacement, augmentation, osteotomy and fusion techniques.

•    Principles of biomechanics, biomaterials and bioengineering and how they relate to orthopaedic traumatology.

•    Be cognizant of and observe ethical and legal aspects of orthopaedic trauma care.

•    The use of outcomes studies.

•    The epidemiology, prevention and mitigation of injury

Specific Goals

•    Successfully evaluate injured patients; both isolated injury and polytrauma

•    Successfully perform a thorough musculoskeletal exam of a polytraumatized patient

•    Critically think and order appropriate studies when indicated for specific injuries

•    Accurately determine diagnoses of injured patients

•    Formulate a treatment plan for injured patients

•    Refine surgical skills with the management of more common fractures, e.g., ankle, hip, wrist, etc.

•    Discern the principles of acute fracture management, both operative and nonoperative and how they apply to specific patients.

•    Communicate with the appropriate services to delineate the care of the patient's musculoskeletal injuries

•    Successfully carry out a treatment plan

•    Diagnose and appropriately manage complications that may arise in the treatment of injured patients

•    Develop a level of critical thinking by formulating a research idea that could be started during the fellowship year regarding an ongoing clinical or basic science dilemma in orthopaedic trauma