Elective Courses

If you undertake an elective in our department, you’ll have opportunities to gain experience training in our physical therapy suite, seeing athletes in the UB training room, learning about being a team physician and participating in coverage for sports teams.

  • ORS 805 Advanced Orthopaedics, 4 credits

    The goal of this elective is to advance students’ skills in diagnosing and managing common musculoskeletal conditions across the lifespan and in different patient settings including outpatient, inpatient and surgical settings. Students will be instructed in the musculoskeletal history and physical examination, be able to identify disease, formulate a diagnosis, and initiate a treatment plan. We will foster an appreciation of the complex effect that musculoskeletal disease can have on the overall well-being of patients. This elective will build on the students’ previous knowledge gained from the first-year course, Integrated Study of the Musculoskeletal System and Integument, and the SUR800 Surgical Subspecialties elective (if applicable). 4-week elective at OCHOB, BGMC or ECMC.  

    Prerequisite: MS4 and successful completion of ORS 800

    Modules: A-K  

    Number of students: 6

    Course Director: Thomas R. Duquin, MD

    Course Coordinator: Tammy Smith, C-TAGME

  • ORS 832 Primary Care – Sports Medicine, 4 credits

    The course is designed to advance the students’ knowledge and skill in diagnosing and management of outpatient musculoskeletal problems. This elective will build on the students’ previous knowledge gained from ICM and the third-year week in orthopaedic surgery. It will enhance students’ ability to diagnose and treat the ambulatory patient with musculoskeletal complaints. 

    Students will attend the outpatient clinic at the UB Sports Medicine Institute. The Institute treats a wide variety of musculoskeletal and sports medicine problems in athletes and the general population. An evening walk-in clinic provides exposure to acute musculoskeletal problems. Students can spend time in our physical therapy suite, learn musculoskeletal radiology, see athletes in the UB training room, learn about being a team physician and participate in game/event coverage.

    Our staff includes sports medicine-trained orthopedic surgeons, sports medicine-trained primary care physicians, and an orthopedic nurse practitioner.

    Students will be taught important history taking techniques for musculoskeletal problems. They will be taught physical diagnosis of the musculoskeletal system and learn to develop a differential diagnosis of musculoskeletal disease. Appropriate (and cost efficient) diagnostic workup of various musculoskeletal problems will be learned.

    The students will have the opportunity to see the continuum of orthopaedic treatment. This will give them important knowledge to counsel their own patients with musculoskeletal problems and have a better understanding of which patients will be better served by getting an orthopaedic consultation.

    Textbooks on basic physical diagnosis and essentials of orthopedic and sports medicine will be used. Videotapes of the proper way to perform a musculoskeletal physician exam will also be utilized. 

    Prerequisite: MS3 or MS4

    Modules: A-K  Blocks: 1-4

    Number of students: 1

    Course Director: Michael Freitas, MD

    Course Coordinator: Tammy Smith, C-TAGME

  • ORS 890 Course at Other University, 4 credits

    The course is designed to advance the students’ knowledge and skill in diagnosing and management of common musculoskeletal problems. This elective will build on the students’ previous knowledge gained from the Integrated Study of the Musculoskeletal System, the third year surgical subspecialty elective in orthopaedics and a senior level rotation in orthopaedic surgery. Students will have the opportunity to experience different methods of patient care at institutions that have an agreement with the University at Buffalo. 

    Students must complete the away rotation form upon acceptance to a specific away rotation.

    Students must notify course coordinator upon acceptance to an away elective.

    Prerequisites: MS4

    Modules: A-K

    Number of Students: unlimited

    Course Coordinator: Tammy Smith, C-TAGME