A fellow's responsibilities include:
Patient Care
The fellow functions as the primary supervised surgeon on the service, assuming responsibility for the admission of all patients to that service and ensuring that inpatient ward requirements are met. Daily rounds and documentation are required.
Residents have the opportunity to act as primary surgical assistants in selected cases. The fellow attends surgery in such cases and assists as needed under the supervision of the fellowship director.
Surgical performance is the responsibility of the individual attending physician, but it is our goal that the fellow be capable of performing a wide range of customary orthopaedic procedures for disorders of his or her subspecialty area. Operative reports for all cases attended by the fellow are available to the fellow.
During clinic the fellow will interview and examine patients, often making recommendations for further assessment and management.
Conferences
The fellow's responsibilities are as follows:
- Attend formal morning teaching conferences
- Organize the weekly morning conferences for his or her subspecialty
- Prepare and deliver lectures at selected conferences throughout the year
Research
Each fellow is expected to complete at least one research project. All studies must culminate in submission of a manuscript by the end of the year, unless the project is recognized by the faculty to require a longer research period. If a longer period is needed, the fellow is expected to complete a preliminary study review and document his or her contributions. Projects can be presented at a conference or alumni meeting. All projects are developed under the supervision of an attending physician and be approved by the fellowship director.
Self-Education
In the course of the conference schedule, the fellow is exposed to a large volume of references, including scientific articles and textbooks. The fellow attempts to read and synthesize this material and develop a method of filing, retrieving, and reviewing the information. Since many fellows continue to work within an educational setting, they must be prepared not only to present their work to colleagues in the scientific community, but to summarize appropriately for residents and students as well.
Licensure
All fellows must obtain a Tennessee license before their fellowship begins. Upon acceptance to the program, information is provided about the process.