The first 16 blocks of residency are known as Surgical Foundations. This is a discrete portion of the Orthopedic Surgery training program under the supervision of the Surgical Foundations Program Director, Dr. Michael Yacob. Its goal is to provide a sound grounding in principles common to all surgical disciplines. It offers rotations through Orthopedic Surgery and all of the medical and surgical services that are associated with it.
Following completion of the Surgical Foundations program, residents continue in Orthopedic Surgery. These remaining 44 blocks of residency are under the direct supervision of the Orthopedic Surgery Program Director, Dr. Davide Bardana. The program offers 3 month rotations through each of the 4 services within the Division of Orthopedics:
Service A |
Sports Medicine and Upper Extremity |
Drs. Bardana, Bicknell, Campbell, Daneshvar, and Pichora |
Service B |
Arthroplasty and Foot & Ankle |
Drs. Diaz Dilernia, Mann, Rudan, and G. Wood |
Service C |
Pediatrics and Spine |
Drs. Borschneck, Kassam, K. Wood, and Yach |
Service D |
Trauma |
Drs. Kassam & Yach |
The rotations are carried out sequentially for the 44 blocks, with two blocks for electives/research, with one block reserved as preparation time for the RCPSC fellowship examination. In this way, graduated responsibility is possible, with senior level residents in charge of the service that they are on.
Two blocks of the PGY3/4 year are dedicated elective time. This block is for in depth exposure to a subspecialty and centre of the residents choice.
All residents are expected to conduct research as per the objectives of the Orthopedic Resident Research Program.
On-Call Duties
Orthopedic Surgery at Queen's has a “resident centric” view. We initiated a resident "night float" call system for the orthopedic residents. During the evening hours there are three residents (at various levels of training who are “on-call”. After 23:00 hours a single resident (PGY 2-5) becomes responsible for covering all emergency calls from the ward, the Emergency Department and Operating Room. This initiative has resulted in improved resident satisfaction while allowing us to be in compliance with the PARO contract. It continues to allow graduated responsibility and educational opportunities for residents at various levels of training.