Mission

To train and develop worldwide deployable orthopaedic surgeons capable of providing the entire spectrum of operative and non-operative musculoskeletal care. The Military Health System (MHS), which this program is a part of, contributes to the integration of military readiness and health. The NMCP Orthopedic program supports this mission through excellence in clinical care, research, and education. Our faculty is dedicated to training and educating the future leaders in orthopedic surgery so that they can utilize the most comprehensive and innovative approaches to treating our military health beneficiaries.

Vision

• To provide the necessary orthopaedic care that ensures the highest level of readiness for our fighting forces.
• To maintain our own personal level of readiness, so that we may deploy with our fighting forces.
• To maintain a premier educational facility fostering an environment that emphasizes professional development and personal growth.
• To continually improve all aspects of our business by applying principles of total quality leadership and process improvement.

Aims

Graduates of this program must be competent and innovative orthopaedic surgeons and leaders. To that end, graduate surgeons must be:

• Capable of general orthopaedic practice
• Able to practice in a worldwide/deployed/austere environment
• Competitive for subspecialty fellowships
• Well-versed in ongoing research efforts to save lives and limbs on the battlefield
• Able to preserve and optimize function for servicemembers
• Active in promoting orthopaedic advances
• Pioneers in improving orthopaedic education

The program's objective is to build great orthopaedic surgeons who will be the future leaders in Navy Medicine.

• Academics Departmental Morning Report Monday, Wednesday, Friday 7:15 - 7:45 a.m.
• Department Journal Club Tuesday 7 - 8 a.m.
• Departmental Grand Rounds Thursday 7:15 - 745 a.m.
• Morbidity and Mortality Conference First Friday of Month 7 a.m.
• Friday Protected Academic Time 8 a.m. - 2 p.m.
• Fall Semester Anatomy/ Surgical Approaches/ Orthopaedic In Training Exam Review
• Spring Semester morning lectures and afternoon Bioskills team specific training
• Boot Camp First 3 Fridays of academic year
• Annual Oral Boards May
• Annual Departmental Research Competition June

There are no elective rotations in the Orthopaedic Surgery Residency.

At NMCP we have a two-tiered call schedule:

• Junior residents in house.
• Senior resident at home call.
• Majority of overnight call is covered by Night Float.

• Combat Orthopaedic Trauma Surgery (COTS+)
• Combat Casualty Care Course (C4)
• Opportunities to get aboard ship, see training rooms at NSW, work with fleet.

• AO Trauma Basic Principles Course (PGY-2)
• AO Trauma Advanced Principles Course (PGY-3)
• Microvascular Surgery Course (PGY-4)
• Enneking Orthopaedic Oncology Course (PGY-4)
• Combat Orthopaedic Trauma Surgery (COTS) Course
• American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons (AAOS) Annual Meeting (if presenting research)
• Society of Military Orthopaedic Surgeons (SOMOS) Annual Meeting (if presenting research)
• Maine Orthopaedic Board Review Course (PGY-5)

Weekly work the Bioskills Lab, which is staffed by a Bioengineer.

A Professional Development course is taught bi-annually.

There are 60 days of protected research time during residency allows for completion of the graduation requirement to write a research protocol for submission to the Institutional Review Board (IRB) and authoring a publishable-quality manuscript. We have a Research Director that guides resident through the process. All residents easily meet this requirement, and many exceed it.

Each rotation offers multiple opportunities to participate in Quality Improvement.

NMCP incorporates professional development both in military officership and in surgical education. Our residents attend some of the highest caliber courses in their fields, (AO basic and advanced, Enneking Tumor Course). From a military officership development standpoint Basic and Intermedicate Officer Leadership Courses are available and and few of our residents have participated in JPME1 via the Naval War College. Additionally semiannually we host a two day professional development days for our residents and faculty where leaders from Civilian and Military Medicine bring their skills and knowledge to share with our residents.

• Florida Orthopedic Institute
• New England Baptist Hospital
• Sentara Obici Hospital
• Sentara Norfolk General Hospital
• Children's Hospital of the King's Daughters
• Sentara Virginia Beach General Hospital

Applicants are offered a choice of subspecialties (as available) to choose from. You will rotate on one service here at NMCP for the entire month. If rotating on active duty orders, you should come prepared with your uniforms, specifically a pair of khaki's and blues for interviews. If you don't have your blues or are not rotating on orders, the equivalent in civilian clothes (i.e. formal business attire) is to be worn on check-in, presentation and interview day. Interviewing medical students are strongly encouraged to give a presentation during the 3rd or 4th week of rotation. This presentation will be to the entire department and typically takes place on Thursday or Friday morning. You will be wearing either your blues or formal business attire for this. You will take roughly one call shift a week, (weekday calls typically run till 10 p.m.). You will take one weekend call as well, typically a Saturday, and this shift will be a 24 hour shift. You will attend Morning Report Monday through Friday at 7 a.m. (except on check-in day).

Four dates (to be determined annually) are scheduled for in person interviews. You will have the opportunity to interview during your clerkship rotation. Anyone unable to rotate but wants to interview may set up an in-person interview one of the scheduled dates or schedule a phone interview by contacting the program via the program email, dha.hampton-roads.portsmouth-nmc.list.nmcp-ortho@health.mil.

Program graduates take the American Board of Orthopaedic Surgery (ABOS) exam. To begin the process of becoming Board certified, a surgeon must be a graduate of an accredited four-year medical school and have successfully completed a five-year accredited orthopaedic residency program in the United States or Canada. Orthopaedic surgeons who have completed an accredited residency may apply and be admitted to take the Part I: Computer-Based Examination given at Prometric testing sites throughout the United States on a single day each July. The passing score is set each year by the Written Examination Committee of the ABOS.

An orthopaedic surgeon who has passed the ABOS Part I Examination but has not yet passed ABOS Part II Oral Examination is deemed Board Eligible. After passing Part I, Candidates have a period of five years to apply for and pass the Part II: Oral Examination. Time spent in fellowship education after passing the ABOS Part I Examination will not count as a part of the five-year time limit. In order to be admitted to the Oral Examination, a Candidate must have a full and unrestricted medical license and have been in practice for 17 months in one location, association, and affiliation. The examination is administered in Chicago each July. The examination consists of 2 hours of examination time, divided into four 25-minute periods with two examiners in each period. After passing the ABOS Part II Examination, a surgeon receives a Board Certification Certificate and becomes a Diplomate of the ABOS for 10 years. Complete details to become Board Certified are available at the American Board of Orthopaedic Surgery Certification Examination website.

Residents have the opportunity to become USUHS Instructors.

Past residents have worked with the EVMS in the Academic Clinician Educators program.  Additional opportunities exist for senior residents to obtain USUHS faculty credit.  

90% of our faculty are subspecialty trained covering all subspecialties in orthopaedic surgery.

Each class is assigned a mentor who meets at least quarterly with the class. Further individual mentorship is both available and encouraged.

Residents meet regularly for program sponsored morale events (minor league baseball, pickleball, beach party) and for department journal clubs. We have had extradepartmental lectures to discuss well-being, leadership, and balance. We have given lectures and readings on recognizing signs of burnout and are vigilant in watching out for our residents. Departmental activities ranging from coffee to physical training and erging competitions are encouraged.