The Oregon Health Sciences University program accepts three residents per year. The first year of the program consists of a general surgery internship, under the direction of the Orthopaedic Surgery Residency Program Director. The year will generally consist of seven months of surgical rotations, three months of non-surgical rotations, and two months of orthopaedics. There is a required two-month basic science research rotation that is incorporated into the OHSU Hospital rotation time, usually during the third or fourth year. Approximately 5-6 hours per week of didactic teaching conferences are required.
Research resulting in a manuscript can be clinical or basic science in nature.
The Department of Orthopaedics and Rehabilitation has an active biomechanics laboratory staffed by a physician chief of research and several biomechanical engineers. Residents are encouraged to use this facility and participate in biomechanics research during their residency, as time permits. The goals of the program are to develop competent orthopaedic surgeons over the term of the residency, who will be prepared for board certification upon completion and who will have a choice of career development beyond that point. Residents are expected to develop their clinical skills as they progress so they will become increasingly autonomous in clinical decision-making and in the operating room. Graduates of the Orthopaedic Surgery Residency Program at OHSU have completed the program successfully and have had excellent results on the board certification examination administered by the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons.