Hand Surgery Fellowship

Clinical Experience

Although the faculty are distributed between Orthopaedic Surgery and Plastic Surgery, we think of ourselves first and foremost as hand surgeons and we function as a unified group with complementary skills. The training experience is divided between IU Health Methodist Hospital, Sidney & Lois Eskenazi Hospital, and Riley Hospital for Children at Indiana University Health. Outpatient clinics and ambulatory surgery centers are situated both on and off-campus.

The rotation schedule is set up in blocks to allow continuous immersion with these faculty members. The fellows accompany the faculty member to both the clinic and the operating room during these rotations, providing continuity of care between the initial evaluation, operative management, and postoperative rehabilitation of each patient. The fellows are given incrementally increased responsibility throughout the year, as they move through the program. They will also be given graduated responsibilities as teachers of residents and medical students.

Curriculum

Our curriculum is carefully designed to address the six core competencies set forth by the ACGME:

1. Medical knowledge
2. Patient care
3. Practice-based learning and improvement
4. Interpersonal and communication skills
5. Systems-based practice
6. Professionalism

The teaching curriculum covers the full spectrum of hand surgery in a series of weekly conferences held jointly with the Plastic Surgery and Orthopaedic Surgery hand teams. Conferences are attended by fellows, residents, and faculty on hand surgery services. Each lecture is broadcast via teleconference for off-site learners. The discussions are typically case-based, with occasional didactic lectures.

Curriculum Topics

At IU School of Medicine, the ACGME duty hour restrictions are strictly monitored and enforced for both residents and fellows. Hand surgery fellows rarely take primary call. Junior residents provide “first call” coverage for floor calls and consults; the hand fellows are expected to supervise the residents when evaluating new emergency consults. When on call, the fellows are always backed up by an attending surgeon.

We have a world-class research enterprise at Indiana University School of Medicine. Our goal is to encourage and cultivate academic potential in our fellows. We expect each fellow to complete at least one publishable academic project during their year with us. This typically involves planning a clinical study from start to finish, under the supervision of our faculty. This is considered the “bare minimum” academic achievement for one of our hand fellows and the fellow should be prepared to present their research project at our local symposia and/or national meetings when projects are complete. Motivated fellows will be able to complete more than just one project during their year with us, as we offer plenty of support for academic achievement.

The fellow will have space at each of the facilities (Methodist, Eskenazi and Riley) to work on research projects and will also have access to substantial resources through the IU School of Medicine, including the following:

• Nearly 100 research institutes, centers, laboratories, and specialized programs on the IUPUI campus, where the Indiana University schools of health sciences are located.
• Research Support: all research projects will be administered by the Division of Plastic Surgery, which is part of the Department of Surgery, one of the largest departments of surgery in the country. Members of the department have access to several core facilities, including the Center for Outcomes Research in Surgery (CORES), which provides free access to staff statisticians and research consultants. In consecutive city blocks, the IUPUI Center for Outcomes Research in Surgery, the Department of Plastic Surgery administrative offices, and the Ruth Lilly Medical Library provide research, administrative and librarian support.
• University Library (IUPUI)
• Indiana Clinical and Translational Science Institute (CTSI)
• Indiana CTSI Clinical Research Centers (CRCs)
• Regenstrief Institute

There are countless academic opportunities through the Hand Surgery Fellowship.  We have a thriving production of publications, in addition to engaged faculty and staff. Our fellowship encourages learning from the global field of hand surgery.  

Faculty

The fellowship is shared between the Division of Plastic Surgery within the Department of Surgery and the Department of Orthopaedic Surgery. Our faculty consists of eight surgeons led by Joshua M. Adkinson, MD, Program Director.