Medical Students and Residents

Saint John Orthopaedics is very active training medical students and residents within the departments of primary care, emergency medicine, and orthopaedic surgery. The group has worked hard to create an active learning environment where trainees acquire knowledge through high volume and patient assessment, emergency and operating room exposure, and daily didactic teaching.

The medical student on Orthopaedics will receive education regarding the foundations of orthopaedics: musculoskeletal anatomy, bone health and healing, joint pathologies, and fracture care. The curriculum includes direct patient care: orthopaedic history taking, physical exam of the musculoskeletal system, and x-ray interpretation.

The primary care and emergency medicine residents on orthopaedics will focus on a more complete knowledge of orthopaedic pathology. Mastery of orthopaedic anatomy, orthopaedic history taking, examination of the musculoskeletal system, and interpretation of x-rays is expected. Furthermore a broader understanding of varied orthopaedic pathologies will be required. Bone health and bone healing, arthritic care, and fracture care will be required. Such topics as the management of spinal pathology, comma soft tissue injury of the shoulder, and paediatric orthopaedic issues will be among the other topics of learning. The group has developed an orthopaedic knowledge list which is to be completed during the rotation and should help guide areas of learning. Emergency medicine sub-specialty residents will focus this reading list inline with their emergency requirements and in keeping with the Emergency Medicine Objectives List.

The orthopaedic resident experience in Saint John is excellent. Saint John Orthopaedics offers teaching through exposure to high surgical volumes and high patient load. The majority of orthopaedic sub-specialties are well represented by the group with advanced surgical techniques being practiced by all surgeons. The orthopaedic resident choosing to work with Saint John Orthopaedics must be an active learner and must be willing to work hard for the benefit of a significant improvement in knowledge and skill at the completion of their rotation.

To obtain an educational rotation with Saint John Orthopaedics please submit your request to Dr. Jennifer Fletcher, Educational Co-ordinator, Department of Orthopaedic Surgery via the following email address: Jennifer.Fletcher@HorizonNB.ca. Please include the following information: name, institution, level of training, and potential rotation dates.

At present our trainee volume is limited to optimize the experience and knowledge acquisition during the rotation:

Medical students: 2
Primary care and emergency residents: 2
Orthopaedic residents: 2