Hand Surgery Fellowship Program

Educational Goals

The Fellow is geared to acquire decision making and clinical skills in hand surgery. The clinical skills include outpatient (emergency and elective), inpatient care, and rehabilitation. The Fellow is provided with a very well rounded hand surgery education by managing various hand injuries and diseases; including the following:

• Hand trauma care (fractures, dislocations, skin defects, ligament and tendon injuries)
• Post-traumatic reconstruction
• Microsurgery (peripheral nerve and vessel injuries)
• Arthritic conditions (osteo arthritis, rheumatoid arthritis)
• Tumors (benign and malignant)
• Paralytic hand reconstruction (cerebral palsy and tetraplegia)
• Congenital hand and upper extremity reconstruction
• Cumulative trauma disorders
• Sports related injuries
• Basic science education is also incorporated through reading, lectures, and research

After one year of fellowship education and upon gaining competency, the fellow should be able to:

• Conduct an upper extremity/hand clinical examination.
• Assess hand and wrist radiographs, imaging, and perform special procedures e.g. Arthrogram.
• Diagnose and formulate treatment plans for hand diseases and injuries.
• Recognize indications and contra-indications for surgical treatment.
• Practice in the laboratory and develop basic skills in microsurgery technique, different tendon repair procedures, wrist arthroscopy, internal fixation, and anatomical dissection of the upper extremity and hand.
• Demonstrate preoperative readiness by reading assigned articles and becoming knowledgeable in various incisions, surgical anatomy, acceptable treatment outcomes and management of possible complications.
• Pay attention to surgical detail and atraumatic technique.
• Perform under decreasing supervision basic hand surgical techniques and microsurgery, proper and meticulous skin closure, and common reconstructive hand surgery procedures.
• Acquire the knowledge and tools to handle complicated upper extremity/ hand surgical cases.
• Becoming familiar with postoperative rehabilitation following reconstructive upper extremity and hand surgery.

Educational Methods

Basic science and clinical topics covering all aspects of hand surgery are emphasized and incorporated over a one-year period. There are one-on-one daily teaching and assigned readings, weekly conferences and informal discussions, monthly hand surgery lectures, and monthly journal clubs. The one-on-one teaching is carried out in the private offices, clinics, hospital wards, and in the operating rooms. The formal lectures and informal discussions are conducted in a manner that promotes a spirit of inquiry and scholarship. There is mandatory hands-on laboratory training that includes microsurgery, fracture fixation, tendon repair, arthroscopy, and anatomical cadaver dissection. The Fellow is required to be familiar with the literature and contribute to clinical or basic science research. The Fellow is also encouraged to develop medical writing skills by contributing to the literature. Near the end of fellowship training, the fellow will give a formal presentation at the annual visiting professor meeting. The fellow will be provided time and finances to attend a national scientific conference such as the American Society of Surgery of the Hand annual meeting.

Patient care comprises inpatients and outpatients treated at INTEGRIS Southwest Medical Center and INTEGRIS Baptist Medical Center. Teaching is an important part of the program, and the fellow will play a key role in the resident and medical student educational programs at these institutions.