Sites
University Medical Center of El Paso (UMC, formerly Thomason Hospital) is where residents obtain the majority of their trauma experience. It is the only Level I trauma facility in the area, with a catchment of over 270 miles. It serves the population of El Paso, as well as neighboring Ciudad Juárez, and it's close proximity near the border ensures that the pathology in the patients we treat is varied and unique. This is an excellent opportunity to provide high-level orthopaedic trauma care for an underserved population.
The opportunity to perform cases at the local hospitals in town with our attendings, including at Las Palmas Del Sol Healthcare, The Hospitals of Providence Memorial Campus, Legent Hospitals of El Paso, and many others, is an excellent way to experience orthopaedics in a more private practice setting. From scheduled cases taking care of our service members at these partner hospitals, to call cases in a Level II and Level III trauma setting, this adds a whole new dynamic to the already excellent military and county hospital experience.
During our third year, residents rotate to the University of Utah in Salt Lake City to augment our pediatrics experience at the world-class UoU and Shriner's Hospital. There, we are exposed to rare pediatric pathology, the opportunity to see an excellent residency program through their pediatrics rotation, and a heavy dose of closed reductions while on call. There is also time to catch your breath and explore the outdoors after the grind that is 2nd year.
For fourth year, residents again have the opportunity to go off-site to a top-notch program to supplement our adult reconstruction experience, this time at Rush University Medical Center in Chicago. There, we work primarily with Dr. Richard Berger, a pioneer in the field of arthroplasty, with an emphasis on minimally invasive total hip and knee replacements.