The MedStar Health—Union Memorial Hospital Fellowship Program in Foot and Ankle Orthopaedics
MedStar Health - Georgetown University Partnership
Our program is part of a strong tradition of individual apprenticeship, with fellows working one on one with each faculty member over the course of the fellowship year. The program assures an exceptionally broad exposure to pathologies of the forefoot, midfoot, hindfoot, and ankle.
The goal of the program is to foster insight, understanding, and creativity with respect to all foot and ankle disorders. This is provided through thoughtful and provocative interaction in the clinics, at the bedside, in the operating room, and in weekly didactic conferences.
Curriculum
Over the course of the year, fellows generally spend a total of 3-4 months total with each faculty member, rotating on a monthly basis. A typical week consists of 1-2 days in clinic and 3-4 days in the operating room. The week culminates with a Friday morning didactic and surgical indications conference. Fellows can expect to complete a minimum of 500-600 operative procedures over the course of the year.
Product design and development from the foot and ankle faculty is ongoing, and fellows have opportunity to learn about patents, intellectual property, and corporate interaction. Additionally, many of the faculty are involved in medicolegal work including expert witness testimony and independent medical exams (IMEs). Fellows can learn about these extra revenue streams and how to incorporate medicolegal work into their independent practices once they complete fellowship.
It is expected that fellows complete at least one research project over the course of their fellowship year. MedStar Union Memorial Hospital has state-of-the-art biomechanical and gait laboratories that are at the fellows’ disposal. Investigators at MedStar Union Memorial Hospital can also collaborate on clinical projects through Georgetown University and the MedStar Health Research Institute. Fellows will benefit from at least one month of dedicated research time. Grant funding is available for these projects through the Orthopaedic Research Committee at MedStar Union Memorial Hospital.
Our program
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Responsibilities
The responsibilities of the fellows are broad. Fellows are expected to be involved in all aspects of patient care when on service for any given attending. These responsibilities include evaluating patients in clinic, assisting in the OR, rounding on inpatients, and discharging patients from the surgery center. Fellows are expected to complete at least one research project over the course of the year.
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Teaching schedule
We have an active teaching schedule:
- Surgical procedures of the week are discussed at a weekly surgical indications conference.
- There is a quarterly research meeting with the foot and ankle staff.
- A monthly journal club highlights pertinent foot and ankle literature from the major journals.
- Fellows attend several industry sponsored courses over the year.
- Fellows attend at least one national meeting during the year.
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Call
There is no call responsibilities during fellowship.
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Patient care
Fellows assigned to a specific attending are responsible for all aspects of patient care for that staff member. This includes completion of all post-operative orders, prescriptions, and other necessary paperwork. Although infrequent, fellows are responsible for rounding on inpatients. If a resident is rotating on the foot and ankle service, then the rounding duties are shared as appropriate.
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Vacation
Each fellow is allocated four weeks of vacation during their year of training. However, only one week of vacation may be taken per quarter. Vacation may be taken in conjunction with, but not in addition to, specialty meetings and national foot and ankle courses. Prior approval must be arranged with the Program Director to ensure there is adequate clinic and OR coverage while the fellow is away.
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Performance feedback
Performance feedback for the fellows is ongoing throughout the year. The fellows receive feedback from attendings after each rotation. Fellows also receive semi-annual feedback on their performance from the fellowship clinical competency committee (CCC). All required ACGME written evaluations are completed by faculty over the course of the year.
Research
It is expected that fellows complete at least one research project over the course of their fellowship year. MedStar Union Memorial Hospital has state-of-the-art biomechanical and gait laboratories that are at the fellows’ disposal. Investigators at MedStar Union Memorial Hospital can also collaborate on clinical projects through Georgetown University and the MedStar Health Research Institute. Fellows will benefit from at least one month of dedicated research time. Grant funding is available for these projects through the Orthopaedic Research Committee at MedStar Union Memorial Hospital.
Conferences
- Weekly foot and ankle conference (fellows’ responsibility*)
- Participation in resident conferences
- Monthly foot and ankle journal club
- Quarterly research meeting
- Quarterly surgical policy or performance improvement meetings
- Didactic lectures in accordance with the residency academic schedule
*At the weekly foot conference, fellows present cases to the residents, attending staff, visiting specialists, physical therapists, and interested orthopedic surgeons in the community. The cases presented are generated from the clinical practices of the attending staff.
Our people
Contact information
Program Coordinator
Nina Lilly