Orthopaedic Residency
A message from the program director,
John D. Lubahn, MD:
Welcome to the Hamot Medical Center Orthopaedic Residency!
Hamot Medical Center offers an ACGME-accredited orthopaedic residency program which is five years in duration. The program provides a strong clinical curriculum that includes basic science and biomechanics, as well as comprehensive experience and exposure to foot and ankle, hand, hip and knee, spine, shoulder and elbow, tumor, pediatrics, sports medicine and trauma.
The PGY-1 year offers experiences ranging from multisystem trauma management to plastic surgery. The experiences are varied with a goal to help you become a well rounded orthopaedic surgeon. During the PGY-1 year, the residents work closely with the Department of Orthopaedics-attending conferences and clinics and rotating on the orthopaedic service two months out of the year.
The remaining four years provide the residents with excellent hands-on training in the care and management of all orthopaedic subspecialties. We feel that one of our major strengths is general orthopaedics. Residents work on services composed of orthopaedic surgeons dealing with a broad range of traumatic, posttraumatic and acquired maladies of the musculoskeletal system. In addition, the residency program offers rotations in highly specialized fields such as hand and upper extremity surgery and pediatric orthopaedics.
During the basic science rotation (PGY-3), the resident engages in basic science research projects and clinical studies. The Hamot Research Center supports the resident's efforts by assisting with protocol design, project implementation, statistical analysis, scientific editing, publishing and funding. The resident is provided with lab space, technical assistance and consultants as needed.
Orthopaedic residents at Hamot rotate at the Shriner's Hospital of Erie for six months of comprehensive pediatric orthopaedics (PGY-4). This rotation stresses the treatment of scoliosis, congenital hip displacement, complex foot deformities and congenital hand problems, and provides training in Ilizarov techniques. Myelodysplasia and amputee clinics also provide valuable experience in rehabilitation.
Hamot provides orthopaedic residents with experience in the surgical intervention required for trauma patients. An 18-bed, surgical-pulmonary intensive care unit provides sophisticated life-support technology and one-on-one, nurse-to-patient staffing ratio for critical post-surgery care.
The residents also have access to Hamot's onsite clinic two half days per week. In addition to giving the residents an opportunity to provide continuity-of-care for patients, the clinic teaches residents practice management and systems-based practice.
Hamot's program is busy enough that residents have the surgical exposure to a broad range of orthopaedic conditions, yet small and collegial enough that residents finish the program with strong working relationships with their fellow residents and faculty.
Thank you for considering Hamot for your residency! If any of your questions are not answered by this website, please contact Pat Rogers, C-TAGME, GME Program Administrator by phone at (814) 877-6257 or via email at pat.rogers@hamot.org.
John D. Lubahn, MD