Orthopedic Surgery Residency | Graduate Medical Education | Broward Health

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Welcome from the Program Director

Joel L. Rush, DO

Welcome to the Broward Health Orthopedic Residency Program.

I am pleased that you are interested in our program and understand that applying for and choosing an orthopedic residency program is a daunting task. It is our goal to provide our residents with an outstanding training experience.

The Orthopedic Surgery Residency Program is a five-year training program. The residency is based at a very busy level one trauma center which will provide each Orthopedic trainee the knowledge, clinical and surgical skills necessary in all areas of Orthopedic surgery to become an extremely competent Orthopedic Surgeon. Our residency program strives to provide the maximum level of expertise so that a resident will exemplify the highest ideals of our profession in community and academic settings.

The primary objective of the Orthopedic Residency Program is to teach our residents how to be caring, experienced, and technically proficient physicians. Under the expertise of skilled professionals, these goals are attained through a carefully designed educational program that encompasses extensive hands-on experience, physical examinations, diagnosis of patients, and progressively increasing responsibility and autonomy in the non-operative and operative management of patients. All of our residents have been able to obtain excellent fellowships in almost all of the orthopedic specialties. Yet, upon completion of our orthopedic residency program, our residents feel confident that they have the skill, knowledge, training, and ability to directly enter private practice.

A career in orthopedic surgery is extremely competitive; therefore, academic excellence is a must. Residents must be prepared to be challenged and work hard.

Joel L. Rush, D.O.
Program Director, Orthopedic Surgery Residency

Director: Joel L. Rush, DO

Coordinator: Krystal Ramos

Contact Us:
954-848-8152
[email protected]

Training Blocks & Sites:

About the Program

The Orthopedic Surgery Residency Program is dedicated to excellence in education, research and surgical training across all areas of orthopedic surgery. The program’s goal is to develop residents into proficient orthopedic surgeons over five years of training, providing them with progressively increasing responsibility in patient evaluation, diagnosis, and both non-operative and operative management.

NRMP Code: 1892260C0

dermatologist

Program Highlights

Our residency program strives to provide the maximum level of competence so that residents will exemplify the highest ideals of our profession in community and academic settings. The primary objective of the Orthopedic Residency Program is to teach our residents how to be caring, experienced and technically proficient physicians. Under the expertise of skilled professionals, these goals are attained through a carefully designed educational program encompassing extensive hands-on experience, physical examinations, diagnosis of patients and progressively increasing responsibility and autonomy in the non-operative and operative management of patients. Additionally, residents have access to simulation training with our arthroscopic simulator and with the use of VR technology. Your training in the Fort Lauderdale, Miami and Palm Beach metropolitan areas will provide exposure to a very diverse international population in one of the largest public health systems in the country.

Curriculum & Rotations

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PGY-1 Rotations

General Orthopedic Rotation

The six months a resident spends on the General Orthopedic Surgery rotation is one of the more intense learning experiences during residency. Direct care of surgical patients is the cornerstone of developing a resident's skills as an internal medicine physician. Residents will begin to gain skills in identifying key history and exams needed to evaluate adults presenting with conditions involving the musculoskeletal system. The resident will become familiar with common diagnostic imaging procedures when evaluating and managing patients with orthopedic conditions: plain radiographs, body MRI, CT scan, and radionuclide bone scans. During this rotation, residents will begin to make informed decisions about diagnostic and therapeutic interventions based on patient information and preferences, up-to-date scientific evidence, and clinical judgment.

Emergency Medicine Rotation

During this rotation, Orthopedic Surgery residents rotate in the Broward Health Medical Center Emergency Department. Our Emergency Department is a Level 1 Trauma Center and exposes residents to large volumes and emergencies in all levels of acuity. The residents gain an exciting hands-on opportunity to care for adult and pediatric patients. They learn how to provide acute care services to patients in the Emergency Department and develop an understanding of the criteria for hospitalization versus outpatient therapy for patients with non-life-threatening diseases. As a safety-net hospital, residents are exposed to a fast-paced environment with a variety of medical conditions, levels of acuity, and opportunities to be involved in procedures, as well as contributing to patient and family care needs. Residents are supervised on this rotation by board-certified Emergency Medicine physicians.

Trauma Surgery Rotation

Residents spend two months rotating with the Trauma Surgery team at Broward Health Medical Center. They participate in the Trauma Team, responding to trauma cases that present to the Level 1 Trauma Center at BHMC. During this time, residents gain skills in the evaluation of preoperative surgical trauma patients, management of hospitalized postoperative patients and the surgical care of injured patients. Residents develop mastery of basic suturing techniques, including multi-layer wound closure and complex wound management as well as mastery of basic surgical instrument skills (tools for exposure, hemostasis, retraction, tissue handling and closure), including aseptic technique and atraumatic soft-tissue handling.

Plastic Surgery Rotation

Residents spend one month rotating on the Plastic Surgery team at Broward Health Medical Center as a first-year resident.

Anesthesia Rotation

Orthopedic surgery residents spend one month rotating in the operating room with board-certified anesthesiologists. During this rotation, residents gain knowledge of the pharmacology of various anesthetic agents and adjuncts to anesthesia and the evaluation and care of a patient undergoing anesthesia. Residents participate in the pre-, intra- and postoperative care of the patient undergoing an anesthetic. They develop a basic understanding of the physiologic changes associated with the induction, maintenance and emergence of anesthesia.

Neurosurgery Rotation

Residents spend one month rotating with the neurosurgery team. This allows them to gain operative and clinical experience to evaluate and manage surgical issues involving the brain and spine. This also tends to be a highly operative rotation. Residents learn valuable lessons regarding care for brain injury patients, microsurgical techniques and neurosurgical spine surgery perspectives.

PGY-2 through PGY-5

Orthopedic Trauma Rotation

Residents spend varying blocks of time on the Orthopedic Trauma Service during their PGY-2 through PGY-5 years. During the Orthopedic Trauma Rotation, residents are active participants in the Orthopedic Trauma Service. The Orthopedic Trauma Service is separate from the General Trauma Service but often works in tandem with the Surgical Trauma Team to care for patients with multiple traumatic injuries. Residents develop the ability to perform closed reduction and manipulations of fractures and dislocations including appropriate casting, splinting and immobilization. They also develop an understanding of common surgical approaches for fracture care. Examples include a lateral approach to the ankle, a lateral approach to the femur, a deltopectoral approach to the shoulder and a volar approach to the forearm. Residents gain the ability to perform the approach and find the starting point for femoral and tibial nails. They receive comprehensive training in the evaluation and treatment of acute trauma of the spine, pelvis and lower and upper extremities, as well as limb salvage and chronic sequelae of fractures such as nonunions, malunions, infection and post-traumatic arthritis. In each successive year, residents hone their skills in caring for some of the most severely injured orthopedic patients.

Pediatrics

Orthopedic surgery residents spend two to three-month blocks in their 2nd and 4th years rotating at Nicklaus Children's Hospital in Miami. The residents are supervised by a large group of board-certified pediatric orthopedic surgeons. Residents learn to identify key history and exams needed to evaluate children presenting with musculoskeletal conditions. They identify the role and general scope of practice of pediatric orthopedists, recognize situations where children benefit from the skills of specialists trained in the care of children and work effectively with these professionals in the care of children with orthopedic conditions. During this second rotation in pediatrics, residents learn to develop and present treatment plans for pediatric orthopedic conditions, implement treatment plans, both operative and nonoperative, with the appropriate supervision of clinical faculty, and perform more complicated pediatric orthopedic procedures with faculty supervision.

General Orthopedic Rotation

The General Orthopedic Surgery rotation continues to build on the intense learning experience of the PGY-1 year. Direct care of surgical patients is the cornerstone of developing a resident's skills as an internal medicine physician. Residents continue to increase their skills in identifying key history and exams needed to evaluate adults presenting with conditions involving the musculoskeletal system. Residents become familiar with more complex diagnostic imaging procedures when evaluating and managing patients with orthopedic conditions. During these rotations, residents begin to make more complex informed decisions about diagnostic and therapeutic interventions based on patient information and preferences, up-to-date scientific evidence and clinical judgment. During this rotation, residents must demonstrate competence in the surgical management of a broad variety of orthopedic diseases. The senior resident must also effectively oversee the appropriate care of patients by the junior residents.

Sports Medicine

Residents on the Sports Medicine Rotation develop patient care and clinical skills to facilitate adequate evaluation of common shoulder, elbow, knee and ankle problems seen in the athletic patient population. This includes physical examination of the knee, shoulder, elbow and ankle that facilitates identification of typical findings of sports medicine problems of these joints. Residents have the opportunity to demonstrate surgical skills that include portal placement for and complete diagnostic arthroscopy of the knee and shoulder, arthroscopic partial meniscectomy, harvest of the central-third patellar tendon and hamstring tendons for ACL and PCL reconstruction, arthroscopic acromioplasty and deltopectoral approach to the shoulder for anterior stabilization, and open debridement of the medial and/or lateral epicondyle of the elbow. In addition, residents also have the opportunity to perform other common sports medicine surgical procedures including primary repair and reconstruction of collateral ligament injuries, patellar stabilization procedures, shoulder stabilization, rotator cuff and labral repair and acromioplasty, UCL reconstruction, distal biceps tendon repair, Achilles tendon repair and ankle stabilization. Residents have a VirtaMed Arthos™ simulator to help enhance their arthroscopy skills.

Foot & Ankle Rotation

Residents spend three months on the Foot and Ankle rotation with board-certified orthopedic surgeons who specialize in the care of foot and ankle problems. Residents develop knowledge and comprehension of common surgical approaches, nonoperative and operative treatment options for common foot problems such as bunions, neuromas, hammertoes, plantar fasciitis, Achilles tendinopathies, ankle and foot fractures, tarsal tunnel syndrome, ankle instability, arthritis and pes planus. Residents also gain experience with performing surgical procedures including reconstruction for posterior tibial tendon dysfunction, arthrodesis techniques for complex hindfoot deformities, operative and nonoperative treatment of rheumatologic conditions, acute reconstruction for complex fractures including pilon fractures, calcaneus fractures and complex midfoot fracture/dislocations, and diagnosis and treatment for diabetic foot conditions. The care and treatment of patients with complex neuromuscular disorders are covered in this service, including adults with cavovarus foot deformities and adult patients with deformities after neuromuscular conditions of childhood.

Musculoskeletal Oncology

Residents spend three months rotating with a board-certified orthopedic surgeon who specializes in musculoskeletal oncology, including bone and soft tissue tumors. The resident will learn the appropriate laboratory workup and diagnostic tests best suited for patients with musculoskeletal tumors and tumor-like conditions. This includes the appropriate disease staging studies for those patients with primary bone and soft tissue malignancies, as well as when it is better to be evaluated by a CT scan, an MRI, a bone scan or a PET scan. Residents will develop an understanding of the principles associated with selecting the appropriate type of biopsy and surgical approach and the surgical management of musculoskeletal tumor patients. The resident is responsible for active participation in the pre-, intra- and post-op care of these patients with ample opportunities to participate in basic science and clinical research.

Adult Reconstruction Rotation

During the Adult Reconstruction rotation, residents learn to evaluate hip and knee problems in adult patients. Residents participate in the team caring for patients with hip and knee pain pre and postoperatively. This rotation offers broad exposure to both primary and revision surgery of the hip and knee. Residents are actively involved in the operative and perioperative care of these patients. Residents are expected to participate in the preoperative planning of these frequently complex cases. Additionally, there is ample opportunity for long-term follow-up of adult reconstructive cases in busy follow-up clinics.

Spine Rotation

The resident spends three months on the orthopedic spine service. During this rotation, residents learn to evaluate, document, and present a patient with spine problems specifying the working diagnosis, studies to confirm or change the diagnosis, treatment alternatives, and expected outcomes. Residents perform and assist in essential surgical procedures: posterior cervical, thoracic, and lumbar exposure and arthrodesis, anterior cervical approach and arthrodesis, and discectomy. They learn to manage patients with spinal cord injuries, degenerative cervical and lumbar pathology as well as complex spinal deformities, tumors and infections.

Hand Rotation

The resident receives intensive education in hand and microvascular surgery. The attending faculty offers excellent and varied teaching throughout the rotation. The goal of the hand rotation is to provide comprehensive training in all aspects of the upper extremity. Residents will acquire significant experience in microsurgery, casting and splinting techniques and basic operative skills.

Meet Our Faculty and Residents

Our Orthopedic Surgery program brings together experienced faculty and passionate residents, working side by side to advance excellence in patient-centered care. Through hands-on training, innovative surgical techniques and one-on-one mentorship, our team fosters the skills, knowledge and confidence needed to thrive in today’s evolving healthcare landscape.

Program Faculty Current Residents