Fellowship Experience
About the Program
The Adult Reconstructive Surgery Fellowship at the University of Minnesota Medical Center is a one-year, ACGME-accredited (2612621025) clinical fellowship sponsored by the University of Minnesota Department of Orthopedic Surgery. The program is seeking two fellows for the 2024-2025 match cycle through the SF Match Program.
The fellowship provides a broad training experience in the diagnosis, management, and surgical treatment of adult reconstructive disorders. Fellows are exposed to clinical problems spanning the breadth of complexity - from minimally invasive procedures, such as hip arthroscopy, to multiply revised joint replacements with substantial structural bone loss. In addition, problems ranging from osteoarthritis to complex revision joint replacements are encountered routinely. The University of Minnesota provides an ideal setting for the fellowship training program.
Fellow Responsibilities
During the year, the fellow will spend time in the outpatient clinic and operating room devoted to patient care responsibilities. Fellows are given clinical and surgical responsibilities commensurate with their capabilities and experience. There is minimal inpatient work since this is assigned to a resident and physician assistant. There is no regular on-call assignment, but fellows are welcome to scrub in on any and all surgical cases. The fellow’s primary responsibility is planning surgical cases and providing both surgical and outpatient assistance.
Secondary responsibilities include teaching residents, rotating weekend morning inpatient rounding with the resident, covering resident inpatient call during the OITE exam, and giving educational presentations. One of the requirements for graduation from the program is completion of a research project and publication submission.
M Health Fairview’s University of Minnesota Medical Center is based on two campuses on either side of the Mississippi River, and is a quaternary care referral site for the entire upper Midwest region, from Montana to the upper peninsula of Michigan. Fellows are exposed to treatment and management of the young adult hip (femoroacetabular impingement) and hip arthroscopy and osteotomies, primary hip/knee arthroplasty, complex revision arthroplasty, and reconstructive surgery after tumor excision and metastatic disease, in addition to degenerative disease. The fellow works intimately with the attending surgeon to gain knowledge and experience.
M Health Fairview University of Minnesota Medical Center, West Bank
M Health Fairview University of Minnesota Medical Center, East Bank
Surgical Experience
Fellows will be exposed to a wide variety of routine and complex adult reconstructive procedures encompassing the full spectrum and procedures ranging from hip arthroscopy to severe pelvic bone loss and multiply revised joint replacements. The breadth of case types ensures fellows have exposure to all major implant systems and instrumentation including unique technology such as real-time image based navigation, and custom implant design and implantation. Our fellows historically perform a high percentage of hip and pelvis, femur and knee surgeries. Our pelvis and hip/knee reconstructive service sees a high volume of repair, revision, and reconstruction surgeries.
Upon completion of the program, fellows will be able to demonstrate the principles of femoral and pelvic osteotomies, prepare accurate preoperative plans for femoral and pelvic osteotomies, and perform surgical treatment options for reconstruction of bony deficiencies of the pelvis and lower extremities. Fellows will also have opportunities to perform primary cemented and uncemented hip replacements, remove a well-fixed prosthesis in the hip, and remove complex hardware around the hip.
Academic Conferences
There are a variety of meetings and conferences available for fellows to stay up-to-date on cutting-edge research and practice, leading to the best possible care for our patients. The Adult Reconstructive Teaching Conference and Bone and Soft Tissues Tumor Conference will expose the fellow to a combination of histology and specimen review with pathologists and other subspecialists. The Friday morning city-wide Grand Rounds conference typically covers the latest research conducted at the University, in addition to a regular series of well-known visiting professors from across the country. Fellows will present during one of these Grand Rounds sessions. Conference attendance is not always compulsory and is based upon interest and clinical demands.
Mentorship & Academic Career Training
The fellowship program strives to develop innovative surgeons that have strong surgical, academic, and leadership skills necessary for their career. Upon completion of the Adult Reconstructive Surgery Fellowship, fellows will demonstrate understanding of collaboration between varied healthcare environments, including quality assessment and improvement, cost effectiveness of interventions, and assessment of patient satisfaction. Patient communication, interactive skills with ancillary personnel, and physician-to-physician communication is supervised directly by the faculty. This competency is taught on a daily basis and evaluated as part of the electronic evaluation system and through a 360° discussion at the semi-annual CCC meetings.