Curriculum
- Rotations
- Didactics
- Educational Resources
Rotations
- PGY-1
Our five-year program begins with the PGY-1 year in the Yale-New Haven Hospital System in a diversified experience of monthly rotations that includes general surgery and trauma, vascular surgery, plastic surgery, surgical intensive care unit, emergency room and six months on orthopaedics. The content of the PGY-1 year is determined by the orthopaedic program directors with the general surgery department and is compliant with ACGME requirements. PGY-1 residents have the opportunity even when off-service to attend many of the educational lectures and other activities.
Intern Year Orthopaedic Surgery Pediatric Orthopedics 8 weeks Orthopedic Surgery Night Float 8 weeks Orthopedic Surgery Day Float 8 weeks General Surgery Trauma & Emergency General Surgery 4 weeks VA Vascular Surgery 4 weeks Acute Care Surgery 4 weeks Surgical Intensive Care Unit 4 weeks Emergency Room 4 weeks Plastics & Reconstructive Surgery 4 weeks
*4 weeks of vacation are integrated into the year.- PGY-2
During the second year, residents rotate exclusively through orthopaedic services. These include orthopaedic trauma; pediatric orthopaedics; combined shoulder, elbow, sports and hand services designed to give exposure to popular subspecialties early in the program while also building key general orthopedic foundation. Residents also rotate at the nearby West Haven Veterans Administration Medical Center with a broad scope of surgical and clinic care is provided to veterans including joints, hand surgery, foot & ankle, and sports. Residents also continue their consult experience fielding daytime consults 1-2 days per week.
Year 2 Hand Shoulder, Elbow and Sports Pediatric Orthopedics VA Orthopedics Orthopedic Trauma - PGY-3
This year's experience includes rotations on the trauma, spine, joints, foot & ankle and oncology services. This year is the highest overnight call volume with in-house call approximately every 3-4 nights. This year also includes opportunity for laboratory research, with one block consisting of two to three days per week involved in clinical activities and the remainder free to develop research projects. At Hospital of St. Raphael’s residents participate in elective joints cases, hip fractures, and other elective cases as the schedule allows. A mix of university and private attendings are available to work with at St. Raphael’s. By the end of this year, residents are well-prepared to begin fellowship applications having given at lest one grand rounds talk and had exposure to all of the orthopedic specialties.
Year 3 Foot & Ankle Spine Trauma St Raphael’s - Joints Lab and Oncology - PGY-4
This resident serves as the chief of his or her service on the sports, hand, VA and spine rotations coordinating coverage of cases and has call responsibilities for staffing consults and cases. There is a protected research rotation with one day per week of clinical duties. The Veterans Administration Medical Center rotation is also a chief resident rotation with a wide variety of adult reconstruction surgical cases, sports cases, foot and ankle, and hand and upper extremity problems seen in both OR and clinic setting.
Year 4 Spine Hand Shoulder, Elbow, Sports VA Lab - PGY-5
In the final year of training, PGY-5 serves as chief resident on all services and has responsibilities for development and execution of educational curriculum, invited grand rounds speakers, organizing monthly journal clubs, and coordinating the book club. The chiefs split these administrative duties and also meet regularly with Program Directors and Department Chair to continue to provide feedback and development to the structure of the program. Chiefs are expected to have the skills to be able to perform most cases independently and have responsibility of caring for a list of consults and primary patients in the hospital. They are on home call every 2-3 nights and are responsible for the management of consults and operative cases. The lab block has no clinical responsibility and allows chiefs to focus on completion of the disputation research project and board preparation.
Year 5 Pediatric Orthopedics Trauma Oncology St Raphael’s - Joints Lab
2nd Through 5th Year Residents
For 2nd through 5th year residents, the rotations are composed of five blocks per year (10-11 weeks per rotation) evenly divided so that each resident in each year rotates through the same services and has an equivalent experience. There is a dedicated lab block in each of the PGY-3 through PGY-5 years with limited clinical responsibilities, which allows ample time for research. Below is a list of some of the best aspects of residency at Yale:
- You never have to leave New Haven for your rotations – Rotations including Pediatric Orthopaedics and Orthopaedic Trauma occur at Yale New Haven Hospital which has an attached Pediatric and Oncology center, as well as the Hospital of St. Raphael’s which is a mere few blocks away and which houses many outpatient and elective surgeries
- Busy trauma experience yet not overwhelming and equal access to specialty services
- Education given by Attendings – which include world renowned lecturers
- Monthly journal clubs required by ACGME usually held at local restaurants in casual environment with attending participation
- The Dr. Gary Friedlander Book Club, a bi-monthly gathering at the home of our former chairman to discuss life outside of work in a relaxing environment that also helps to broaden the literary horizons
- Spring Anatomy course
- One yearly conference sponsored by department for PGY2-5, as well as funding for conferences at which you present during the year
- There is also a separate Educational Fund provided annual to reimburse educational expenditures
- Competitive salaries that more than compensate for the cost of living in New Haven
- Sports coverage of HS football, Annual CT Open Tennis Tournament and starting this year opportunities arising for Yale Varsity sports
- The New Haven locale offers the flavor of a mixed urban/suburban population, provides nearly every style of living arrangement as well as easy access to New York and Boston with an abundance of diverse activities to satisfy all interests
- Excellent history of fellowship matches at top programs around the country
- With an Orthopaedic Residency at Yale comes the reputation and commitment to producing quality residents prepared to be leaders in the field of Orthopedics