Paediatric Orthopaedic Surgery Fellowship Program
Faculty Members:
- Timothy P. Carey MD, FRCSC, Associate Professor
- Debra L. Bartley, HBSc, MD, FRCSC, Professor
- Patrick Thornley, MD, MSc, FRCSC, Assistant Professor
Overview
The Paediatric Orthopaedic Surgery Fellowship at Western University offers exposure to a broad range of paediatric musculoskeletal conditions. The goal is to provide the fellow with experience in managing:
Paediatric Orthopaedics is a member of the Divisions of Paediatric Surgery and Orthopaedic Surgery, both within the Department of Surgery at Western University. Fellowship training takes place primarily at the Children's Hospital, London Health Sciences Centre, located in LHSC Victoria Hospital Campus. Additional exposure to aspects of paediatric orthopaedic care occur at Thames Valley Children's Centre, a paediatric rehabilitation facility adjacent to the Children's Hospital. Additionally, there is the opportunity to participate in outreach clinics across Southwestern Ontario, as well as in telemedicine clinics.
Fellows will be exposed to a wide variety of orthopaedic conditions in children, with both acute and elective surgical exposure. Children's Hospital is the only Level I Trauma Centre in Southwestern Ontario, and has a catchment population of >2.5 million people, ensuring that the fellowship offers ample experience in managing both single-extremity and multisystem trauma. Emergency consult coverage is provided 24/7 by the resident service, and fracture clinics (average 50 pts/day) occur three times a week. Approximately 100 trauma visits are seen annually, with a dedicated Paediatric Trauma program and a dedicated paediatric trauma nurse practitioner in place. Operative exposure is abundant, with approximately 300 urgent surgeries performed annually. The paediatric orthopaedic service has access to Paediatric Priority OR time, to manage overflow urgent cases during the week.
The high-volume elective practice encompasses all aspects of paediatric orthopaedics including sports medicine, neuromuscular disease, hip disease, scoliosis, limb deformity and reconstruction including limb lengthening and deformity correction. There is also a weekly clubfoot clinic, providing exposure to the Ponseti Method.
The fellow will have the opportunity to work with four faculty members. Each faculty member has a general paediatric orthopaedic practice, but also has subspecialty interests in the following areas:
Dr. Debra Bartley - Paediatric Sports Medicine
Dr. Tim Carey - Paediatric Sports Medicine
Dr. Patrick Thornley - Paediatric Spinal Deformity and Paediatric Trauma
As the only fellow in the program, the successful applicant will have the ability to choose clinical assignments and tailor their schedule to meet their goals and areas of interest.
Objectives of Fellowship
- Through a preceptor model, to expose the orthopaedic surgeon to further sub-specialty training in all areas of paediatric orthopaedics. These areas include trauma, neuromuscular disease, spinal deformity, and musculoskeletal infection.
- To gain clinical exposure to common paediatric orthopaedic problems.
- To gain operative exposure to the full spectrum of paediatric orthopaedic pathology.
- To provide pre-operative and post-operative care of the paediatric orthopaedic patient.
- To identify the unique differences between children and adults with orthopaedic disease or injury.
- To describe the emotional and psychological aspects of injury / illness in children and the role of the family.
- To contribute to the education and supervision of residents and medical students.
- To participate in ongoing research into paediatric musculoskeletal disease.
Evaluation
The candidate will have ongoing evaluation by their preceptors in the clinical setting, as well as objective evaluation of teaching and research presentations.
Duties of Fellow
1) Active participation in all clinical rounds, teaching, and operative cases
- Handover Rounds (Weekly)
- Paediatric Orthopaedic Teaching Rounds (Weekly)
- Academic Half Days (approx 6/year)
- Continous Quality Improvement Rounds (Quarterly)
- Paediatric Trauma Rounds (Quarterly)
- Elective OR (3 days/week)
- Elective Outpatient Clinics (3 days/week)
- Fracture Clinics (3 days/week)
- Clubfoot Clinic (Weekly)
2) On call duties
The fellow will work with the orthopaedic residents on call and the faculty member on call to provide on-call coverage for paediatric orthopaedic trauma, infections and emergencies. A resident will carry the on-call pager, and the fellow is expected to participate in decision-making and operative and non-operative management.
3) Teaching / Education
The fellow will help provide education to residents and medical students. This will take place formally, through teaching rounds and Academic Half Days, as well as informally through day-to-day case discussions.
4) Research
The fellow will work with faculty and residents to contribute to Research and Quality Improvement projects within the division. Fellows will also have the opportunity and divisional support to start research projects independently. Research Support is provided by two Research Assistants.
Guidelines for Application
Interested applicants are asked to forward a current Curriculum Vitae and three supportive reference letters to the Paediatric Orthopaedic Surgery Fellowship Director - Dr. Timothy Carey. For further information and to submit an application, please contact:
Dr. Timothy CareyAssociate Professor, Orthopaedic Surgery
London Health Sciences Centre - Victoria Hospital
800 Commissioners Road East
London, Ontario, Canada N6A 5W9
Tel: 519-685-8500 ext. 52132
Fax: 519-685-8038
Email: Timothy.Carey@lhsc.on.ca
