Adult Reconstruction and Trauma

Learn to provide care for orthopaedic trauma patients and gain familiarity with life-saving measures, critical care, surgery and rehabilitation.

Our adult reconstruction and trauma rotation will develop your ability to treat all musculoskeletal fractures, traumatic injuries and related complications. 

Benefit from In-Depth Trauma Experience

You will gain experience in settings including:

  • trauma bay
  • operating room
  • trauma intensive care unit
  • surgical floor

As part of a resident team — with the guidance of your supervising attending physician — you’ll gain experience performing:

  • initial assessments
  • triage
  • provisional stabilization of fractures
  • definitive operative and nonoperative fracture care
  • immediate postoperative orthopaedic care

You’ll learn to treat injuries ranging from simple fractures to the most severe cases of multiple trauma.

Gain Experience with Lower Extremity Reconstruction

In addition to orthopaedic trauma care, our rotation covers adult lower extremity reconstruction, including primary and revision hip and knee reconstruction. 

Our expert faculty members will help you deepen your knowledge of:

  • the anatomy, physiology and function of joints
  • principles of osteotomy, joint arthroplasty and arthrodesis
  • latest developments in the orthopaedic management of arthritis and methods to prevent complications 
  • principles of conservative management, including the use of walking aids, braces, anti-inflammatory agents and intra-articular injections such as steroids or hyaluronic preparations

You’ll develop the skills you need to formulate treatment plans for straightforward musculoskeletal conditions of the lower extremities and complex arthritic problems.

You’ll take on responsibilities as you progress through the rotation and build experience. You can expect to perform preoperative consultations and participate in surgical procedures. You’ll also deepen your knowledge of postoperative patient management.

Length of Rotation

Second-year residents: 10-12 weeks

Fifth-year residents: 10-12 weeks

Patient Population

You may see patients with conditions including:

  • complex pelvic and acetabular fractures
  • musculoskeletal trauma
  • malunions and nonunions
  • primary repair of simple fractures
  • chronic osteomyelitis
  • reconstruction for periarticular fractures

Training Site