GW prides itself on a rigorous academic schedule geared toward developing the orthopaedic knowledge base and clinical judgment of its residents. In addition to a half-day protected academic conference for all residents, each rotation site hosts its own curriculum conference. Residents and attendings choose topics based on general relevance, faculty expertise, American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgery (AAOS) recommendations, and the Orthopaedic In-Training Exam (OITE). Our trauma curriculum rotates on a one-year cycle, and our subspecialty curriculum rotates on a two-year cycle. This curriculum allows house staff first to learn the material as junior residents and then to teach it as more experienced senior residents.
All-Resident Academic Conferences
Resident-led Conference: This is a weekly conference given by residents on a number of important fundamental orthopaedic subspecialty topics that are part of a two year rotating curriculum. This conference is a combination of lecture and interactive OITE-style review questions.
Attending-led Conference: This is a weekly conference that accompanies the resident lecture but provides more depth and offers an attending-level perspective into the weekly topic. This conference is a combination of lecture and interactive discussion with residents.
Grand Rounds: Every other week, the entire orthopaedic department is invited to participate in a presentation and discussion on recent and interesting topics. Featured speakers may be GW faculty members, chief residents, and visiting professors.
Anatomy (Summer Months): Eight laboratory anatomy sessions are held in July thru October each year. These sessions involve junior resident dissections and presentations of gross anatomy, surgical approaches, and radiology of all musculoskeletal body parts. Attendings from all rotation sites and subspecialties participate on a weekly basis.
GW Conferences
Trauma Conference: This is a weekly conference where a fracture or acute injury topic is discussed. Articles are distributed to residents in advance of the conference. Residents and attendings use these cases to discuss and learn about fundamentals of each topic. The majority of department attendings participate in this conference.
Upper Extremity Conference: This conference is led by the hand and upper extremity attendings. Residents present and discuss cases in an interactive Socratic fashion.
Sports Conference: Cases are presented by junior residents and MRIs are reviewed with sports medicine and musculoskeletal radiology faculty.
WHC Conferences
Oncology Conference: This is a weekly conference where cases are presented by the oncology service, who lead residents through the diagnosis and management of oncologic pathology in an interactive Socratic fashion.
Spine Conference: This weekly conference covers fundamentals of spine pathology and surgery through a combination of lecture and discussion-based teaching.
Sports Conference: This is a weekly conference where junior residents learn to read sports MRIs with the assistance of chief residents and sports attendings.
CNMC Conferences
Indications Conference: This weekly conference is an opportunity for all residents and attendings to review cases performed at CNMC in the preceding week, as well as present and discuss upcoming cases for the following week.
Pediatric Subspecialty Conference: Faculty give weekly lectures on a range of pediatric orthopaedic surgery topics, ranging from congenital malformation to complex deformity correction.
Rehabilitation Conference: Physical medicine and rehabilitation faculty give monthly lectures on topics such as gait kinematics, non-operative treatment of pediatric musculoskeletal disease, and post-operative rehabilitation.
Sibley Conferences
Grand Rounds Case Conference: Residents present interesting cases each week on preselected topics for discussion with attendings from multiple community practices. Residents have the opportunity to learn how to teach using the Socratic method, as roles are reversed and attending faculty are in the hot seat.