Orthopedics/Sports Medicine
The Emergency Medicine residents at New York Presbyterian Queens have excellent training in managing Orthopedic conditions. Our musculoskeletal (MSK) training starts at the very beginning of residency during the 1-month Intern orientation, where they learn how to reduce and splint fractures and interpret MSK imaging, including plain radiographs and ultrasound. Our goal is to train residents that are adept at diagnosing and treating Orthopedic emergencies and performing MSK procedures in both academic and community settings, regardless of the presence or absence of Orthopedic in-house backup.
The program benefits from its prime location in metropolitan NYC because we have access to countless venues and events. Our residents have the opportunity to learn side-line and event medicine. Each year, our residents volunteer as medical staff for the largest marathon in the world, the TCS New York City Marathon. There are countless opportunities to cover events including races, obstacle course races (i.e., Tough Mudder), boxing events, music festivals, and sporting events. Also, NYP Queens is a proud partner of St. John’s University collegiate athletics, which has 16 NCAA Division I teams.
Orthopedics Didactics
A strong Orthopedics curriculum is one of the highlights of this program. We focus on teaching the residents how to perfect Orthopedic procedures with hands-on workshops. Each year, we host 3 splinting sessions where the residents learn and practice closed reduction and splinting of upper and lower extremity fractures. We also have workshops on dislocation reduction techniques, upper and lower extremity nerve blocks, and landmark-guided and ultrasound-guided arthrocentesis.
Our didactics also have a focus on providing the best education in Orthopedics. Every 2 weeks, the residents learn from their colleagues through 15-minute rapid-fire presentations. We additionally have lectures and small-group didactics led by our Sports Medicine attending. Throughout their training, our residents become experts in MSK imaging, fracture management, compartment syndrome, dislocation reductions, septic arthritis, and other Orthopedic emergencies.
Our program hosts free online access to medical education (FOAMED) through our residency blog. Residents have the opportunity to contribute to the FOAMED world with these blog posts, as well as other avenues including OrthoPearls and ALiEM.
Orthopedics Rotation
The residents have dedicated 2-week Orthopedic rotations in both their PGY-1 and PGY-3 years. During this time, they work directly with our Sports Medicine attending, Orthopedic attendings, and Orthopedic residents from the Hospital for Special Surgery. Our residents have access to two brand-new radiography suites in the ED to obtain the best quality images. In the procedure room, residents utilize C-Arm Fluoroscopy to perform reductions. Our department also has 4 Mindray-Zonare ultrasound machines and 2 handheld Butterfly probes to practice diagnostic and therapeutic MSK ultrasound. These machines have excellent image quality and can be used to guide nerve blocks and arthrocentesis. Orthopedic education is formally integrated into our didactic curriculum with year-round conference lectures. Each resident delivers a presentation on Orthopedics during their rotation. In addition, each resident creates a blog post for our residency educational blog. This allows the resident to learn more about their topic of interest and learn how to deliver high quality presentations. Aside from these 4 weeks on the Orthopedic rotation, residents work 1:1 with an attending in our urgent care area of the ED to continue to hone their procedural skills.