Residents are responsible for care of their inpatients on each rotation. Reflecting the changes which have become dominant in health care, each rotation stresses foreshortening inpatient care and placing greater emphasis on outpatient management. Most rotations feature twice daily rounds with faculty and include at least weekly patient care meetings with nursing and physical therapy to discuss patient disposition. C. Operative Care Conduct of surgery by residents on each rotation is based initially on attendance at the Indications Conference. Residents are required to present the patient's assessment, management plan, and justification for surgery.
Residents review patient charts and x-rays prior to the session.
A prerequisite for having a resident participate actively in surgery on most private and ward patients is the successful justification of the rationale behind the treatment plan. Selected original articles are recommended and a review of the anatomical approaches is emphasized. At the present time, just over one-half of the services have formal Indications Conferences. This involves taking a history and performing a physical examination commensurate with the type of injury seen, as well as searching for other less obvious injuries. Radiographs are reviewed as appropriate, then a treatment plan is rendered.