Residency Program

Resident clinical training in the Duke Orthopaedic Surgery Residency Training Program covers all subspecialty areas of orthopaedic surgery, including;

• Adult Reconstruction
• Adult Spine
• Basic Science
• Foot and Ankle
• Hand and Upper Extremity
• Oncology
• Orthopaedic Trauma
• Pediatric Orthopaedics
• Sports Medicine

Core Curriculum

Helping underserved communities

The Duke Orthopaedic Training Program has a long-standing commitment to musculoskeletal care in underserved communities within the region and international communities. Residents participate in outreach programs at health departments in eastern North Carolina as well as internationally in hospitals in Africa and the Caribbean.

Achieving competency

Competency is monitored through faculty evaluations of clinical performance, presentations at didactic conferences, and in-training and specialty board examinations. Each chief resident must complete a written thesis, which is presented and adjudicated at a symposium prior to graduation from the program.

Affiliated institutions

In addition to an appointment at Duke University Hospital, residents rotate through the orthopaedic services at affiliated hospitals. These include:

• Duke Regional Hospital (DRH)
• Durham Veterans Administration Hospital
• Lenox Baker Children’s Hospital
• Duke Raleigh Hospital (DRaH)

Additional training opportunities

Duke orthopaedic residents are exposed to additional opportunities to enrich their musculoskeletal education. Residents may staff the training rooms of Duke University and North Carolina Central University athletic teams; as well as serve as a team physician for one of the local high schools or the junior college. Resident participation may be in all aspects of care for the athletes, including pre-participation examination, training, decision-making about continuing/returning to play, evaluation and treatment of injuries, and rehabilitation.

The Human Fresh Tissue Laboratory provides residents with a unique opportunity to not only master surgical anatomy and approaches but also to perform orthopaedic surgical procedures including:

• Small and large joint arthroscopy(s)
• Ligament reconstructions
• Total joint arthroplasty(s)
• Tendon transfers

Orthopaedic education today is both a dynamic and evolutionary process—based not only on technological advances but also those innovative ideas spawned from clinical and basic science research. Integrated web-based curricula, informatics, computer based training, and virtual technology all play important roles in this evolution in orthopaedic education. Nevertheless, history and tradition provide a time-honored foundation to those fundamental ideals necessary for success: a strong work ethic, team play, and a relentless passion for clinical medicine nurtured in a compelling atmosphere of collegiality and camaraderie.

Piedmont Orthopedic Society

Upon graduation, Duke orthopaedic residents become members of the Piedmont Orthopedic Society, the oldest and largest orthopaedic alumni association in America. Founded in 1951, this society has over 700 members, many of whom participate in an annual five-day scientific meeting. Over the years, this society’s foundation has awarded over 120 grants for residents in their research.