Orthopedic surgery

Geisinger's Department of Orthopaedics offers a four-week elective in orthopaedic surgery. Our department provides care for more than 10,000 office visits per year and performs more than 6,000 surgical procedures per year. We provide comprehensive orthopaedic care that includes operative and non-operative management of orthopaedic problems, rehabilitation services and radiological services.

The rotating medical student will be integrated into our services by becoming active in the daily care of our patients. Medical students will be expected to learn how to examine common orthopaedic injuries, review appropriate radiographic studies, formulate a treatment plan and assist the attending and resident physician in care of the patient. Medical students are expected to participate in surgical procedures and to prepare and present a lecture on an orthopaedic topic.

Goals & objectives

The overall educational goal for the rotating student is to gain experience in the specialty of orthopaedic surgery. The rotating student will work directly with fellowship-trained orthopaedic surgeons and primary care specialists, orthopaedic physician assistants, physical therapists and athletic trainers. Specific educational goals will include:

• Knowledge acquisition of musculo-skeletal system anatomy as it pertains to orthopaedic injuries. This includes fundamental knowledge of neck and spine injuries; injuries to the shoulder, elbow and hand; and injuries to the hips, knee and foot/ankle.
• The ability to evaluate injured patients and formulate a treatment plan.
• The ability to review related radiologic studies such as X-Ray, MRI and CT scans of the musculo-skeletal system
• Knowledge acquisition of the non-operative management of orthopaedic injuries.
• Discuss the fundamentals of surgical management of common injuries to the shoulder, knee, elbow, hand, foot and ankle.