Hand surgery fellowship program

Mission and goal

Mission
The hand fellowship program is an integrated service covering care of hand and upper extremity problems at Loma Linda University Medical Center and affiliates. We are committed to the education of competent and compassionate hand fellows (hand surgery residents).

Goal
To provide an upper extremity service program dedicated to the superior care of hand injuries and deformities with an appropriate associated program of scientific research and teaching. The superior care of traumatic injuries and total commitment to returning people with hand problems to useful life is our primary concern.

Introduction

Loma Linda University was founded by the Seventh-Day Adventist Church in 1905. It is located 60 miles east of Los Angeles on Interstate 10 surrounded by the cities of San Bernardino, Riverside, and Redlands. Mountain resorts, such as Lake Arrowhead and Big Bear, are 30 miles north of Loma Linda, the ocean beaches are 45 miles southwest, and Palm Springs is 45 miles east. Other centers of higher education in the area are the University of California at Riverside, California State University in San Bernardino, and the University of Redlands.

[Top of page]

Duties of a fellow

Loma Linda University Medical Center has over 800 beds and is a recognized regional and national leader in medical care. Duties require pooling of patients for research and computer recall, working in the hand clinic, emergency room care, and working in the rehabilitation unit for industrial upper extremity injuries. Also, surgery requires protocol for research regarding clinical problems, replantation service, private patients, and pre- and post-operative follow-up care.

Arrowhead Regional Medical Center has 373 beds and is a 15-minute drive from the University Medical Center. Duties consist of surgery, clinical exposure, instruction to residents and ancillary personnel, as well as emergency room care of injuries. You obtain a great deal of exposure to trauma on this rotation.

Education

A great deal of informal education takes place in the clinical setting. Our formal educational efforts center on the conferences held each week. The primary teaching tool in this regard is our Hand Surgery Service Conference. The topics are selected according to the table of contents in Green's OPERATIVE HAND SURGERY published by Churchill Livingstone. The fellows meet as a group with an assigned faculty member to discuss the assigned reading. At the end of the year, each fellow will have completely read and discussed this text. (M&M conference is included).

[Top of page]

Additional conferences

The format for Grand Rounds varies from interesting case presentations with short literature reviews on chosen topics to a formal lecture series organized to cover clinical topics.

Surgical Indications Conference provides a review of the most recent surgical cases and affords an opportunity for residents and fellows to "think on their feet" and defend their indications for surgery.

The Basic Science Conference is designed to teach the scientific basis for orthopaedic practice, which includes biochemistry and biomechanics, as well as physiology, etc.

Journal Club is held every other month. No routine conferences are held on weekends.

A special facet of clinical exposure is a regularly scheduled clinic for congenital deformities in children with Dr. Wood encompassing the Kaiser Hospital system. An opportunity is provided to work with Dr. Christopher Jobe doing shoulder and elbow surgery with a special emphasis in arthroscopy.

In addition, access to several labs is available to the fellow: anatomy lab, pathology lab, electromyography lab, kinesiology lab, occupational therapy, microsurgery laboratory, biomechanics lab, and tribology lab.

Teaching

This involves teaching medical students and residents. You will teach medical students about hand and upper extremity surgery. You will instruct residents in orthopaedic surgery, residents in plastic and general surgery; basic science. You will teach O.T. and P.T. students in hand rehabilitation.

Total rehabilitation - total commitment to returning people to useful life:

+CP and stroke; trauma; industrial rehabilitation; prosthetics & orthotics

+Teaching other physicians post-graduate education such as the alumni post-graduate instruction course lectures et al.

[Top of page]

Research

Research will be in regard to clinical patients (pooling patients with computer input of all patients out and in), at the large teaching hospital. Basic science aspects of hand surgery and microvascular technique are part of the research done here. Each fellow is required to complete one research paper per six months of training. A presentation of both papers is required at the end of the year. Macintosh computers and PCs are available that include PowerPoint.

Pre-fellowship requirements

Applicants should be fully trained in either orthopaedic surgery, plastic surgery, or general surgery. In addition, all applicants must be California Medical License eligible and once accepted into the program, must obtain a valid California medical license prior to beginning the fellowship as well as current DEA, CPR, and fluoroscopy certificate.

Procedure for applying

Applications may be obtained by writing to M. Kenneth Mudge, MBChB, Hand Surgery Service, Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, Loma Linda University Medical Center East Campus, 11406 Loma Linda Drive, Suite 214A, Loma Linda, California, 92354. An application form will be mailed upon request.

Mail your completed application with accompanying documentation (see back of application) to the above address. Your application file must be completed by DEADLINE: 2/1/06.

[Top of page]

Match information

We participate in the National Resident/Fellow Matching Program for Hand Specialties. Therefore, you will also need to register with the Matching Program (NRMP).

Stipend

A stipend is available.

Interviews

You will be notified if you have been accepted for an interview. Interviews will be held on one day only in March/April, 2006.

[Top of page]

Contact information

[Top of page] [Residency programs at LLUMC]