Podiatric Residency at Virtua Health Rotations

Rotations


Clinical Podiatry
Anesthesia
Medicine
Orthopedic Surgery
Medical Imaging
General and Vascular Surgery
Emergency Medicine
Clinical Pathology
Sports Medicine
Infectious Disease
Dermatology

Clinical Podiatry

  1. In a compassionate and cost-effective manner, prevent, diagnose, and manage diseases and disorders of the lower extremity, which include the following systems: circulatory, musculoskeletal, neurologic, metabolic and integumentary. Components include:
    1. History and physical exams as they relate to pathology of the lower extremity.
    2. Perform and interpret appropriate imaging, laboratory, gait and other diagnostic studies.
    3. Formulate an appropriate differential diagnosis and management plan which may include education, prevention and treatment strategies.
    4. Perform treatment techniques by medical and surgical means. Recognize the need to refer when necessary.
    5. Assess the treatment plan and revise as necessary.
    6. Determine cost-benefit ratios, lower risk, and most ethical care with regard to the patient and community when considering treatment options.

  2. Assess medical conditions that affect the lower extremity and refer, as appropriate, those patients with conditions identified.
    1. Perform history and physical.
    2. Recognize abnormal medical history and physical findings and formulate a differential diagnosis.
    3. Provide a management plan incorporating health promotion and education, diagnostic modalities and appropriate referral.

  3. Practice with professionalism, compassion, and concern in an ethical fashion regardless of the patient's social class, race or espoused needs.
    1. Be familiar with ethical boundaries and state laws governing practice acts.
    2. Recognize the need to deliver care in a caring, compassionate and humane manner.
    3. Be a professionally inquisitive lifelong learner.

  4. Demonstrate the ability to communicate with others and to function in a multidisciplinary manner.
    1. Communicate in oral and written form with patients, peers, and other professionals and the public.
    2. Demonstrate appropriate choice and method of referral to other health care providers.
    3. Demonstrate listening and interviewing skills.
    4. Demonstrate interpersonal skills and an understanding of patient needs.
    5. Demonstrate knowledge of public health concepts, health promotion and disease prevention.

  5. Demonstrate knowledge of practice management skills in a variety of settings including private practice, hospital and multidisciplinary practices.
    1. Demonstrate knowledge of insurance coding and billing.
    2. Demonstrate knowledge of handling employee-employer relationships.
    3. Demonstrate knowledge of regulatory systems including DEA, State, STARK and other federal requirements.
    4. Demonstrate knowledge of medical-legal considerations.

  6. Demonstrate abilities in research, scholarly activity and information management.
    1. Demonstrate ability to locate, read and interpret medical and scientific literature.
    2. Design, collect and interpret data in a formal study related to podiatry.
    3. Demonstrate computer skills.

Anesthesia
The resident will learn the procedures for the admission of various types of anesthesia. The resident will become competent in intubation, IV administration and the administration of local anesthesia. The resident will obtain knowledge in perioperative management.

Medicine
The goal of this program is to provide the resident with the medical knowledge necessary to be a highly competent podiatric practitioner. Although it is not expected that the resident be competent to treat a wide variety of medical problems, it is expected that the residents recognize common medical pathology and have a clear understanding how to communicate within the medical community. The resident shall demonstrate competence in performing history and physical examinations. The resident will become proficient at managing the podiatric inpatient and perioperative patients in conjunction with primary medicine. The resident will become proficient at handling medical emergencies.

There will be a four-week block medicine rotation and ongoing training involving podiatric inpatient involvement as well as various didactic activities. The resident will also have a four-week block rotation in emergency medicine

Orthopedic Surgery
The resident will obtain a basic knowledge of orthopedic surgical protocol, technique and indications. The resident will also obtain the orthopedic approach to foot and ankle pathology. The resident will obtain a basic knowledge of common orthopedic pathology and treatment (injections, casting etc).

Medical Imaging
The resident will become competent in the indications and interpretation of lower extremity imaging. The resident will become familiar with other imaging procedures and indications. The following are general areas to be covered: soft tissue and bone tumors, chest films, arteriograms, fractures and trauma, biomechanical disorders. The resident will become familiar with angioplasty techniques.

General and Vascular Surgery
The resident will obtain a basic knowledge of surgical techniques as well as fundamentals of general and vascular surgery. The resident will also be conversant with common surgical problems, indications and contraindications of common surgical procedures. The resident will be familiar with the pre- and post-operative management of the surgical patient.

Emergency Medicine
The resident will become familiar with common emergency department pathology including protocol, procedures and technique. The resident will obtain working knowledge of lower extremity trauma and other emergent problems.

Clinical Pathology
The goal of this program is to provide the resident with the necessary knowledge and skills in pathology, as it relates to the podiatric practice, to become a highly competent practitioner. The resident will demonstrate knowledge in pathology including microbiology, laboratory values and the microscopic evaluation of tissue samples. The resident will demonstrate skills in the collection of blood samples and cultures, biopsy techniques and other tissue sampling procedures.

There will be a three-month sequential rotation one-day per week that will include microscopic pathology and skin biopsy technique. The residents will be evaluated by the podiatric faculty in an on-going fashion for competencies in laboratory, collection technique and surgical skills.

Sports Medicine
Sports Medicine is a two-week elective block rotation that may be completed in either the second or third year. The goal of this rotation is to familiarize the resident with the fundamentals of sports medicine. The resident will be able to identify and treat lower extremity sports medicine conditions. Although it is not expected that the resident be competent to treat a wide variety of non lower extremity sports medicine problems, it is expected that the residents recognize common medical pathology and have a clear understanding how to communicate within the medical community.

The resident shall demonstrate competence in performing history and physical examinations. The resident will be exposed to the medical and surgical management of sports medicine diseases and other pathology relative to podiatric medicine. This rotation in conjunction with didactic programs and ongoing inpatient management will give the resident the medical knowledge necessary to provide high quality care to their podiatric patients.

Infectious Disease
Infectious disease is a two-week elective block rotation that may be completed in either the second or third year. The goal of this rotation is to familiarize the resident with the fundamentals of infectious disease. Although it is not expected that the resident be competent to treat a wide variety of infectious disease problems, it is expected that the residents recognize common medical pathology and have a clear understanding how to communicate within the medical community.

The resident shall demonstrate competence in performing history and physical examinations. The resident will be exposed to the medical management of infectious disease and other pathology relative to podiatric medicine. This rotation in conjunction with didactic programs and ongoing inpatient management will give the resident the medical knowledge necessary to provide high quality care to their podiatric patients.

Dermatology
The goal of this rotation is to familiarize the resident with the fundamentals of dermatology. The resident will be able to identify and treat lower extremity dermatological conditions, including competence in diagnostic modalities. Although it is not expected that the resident be competent to treat a wide variety of non lower extremity dermatology problems, it is expected that the residents recognize common medical pathology and have a clear understanding how to communicate within the medical community.

The resident shall demonstrate competence in performing history and physical examinations. The resident will be exposed to the medical management of dermatological diseases and other pathology relative to podiatric medicine. This rotation in conjunction with didactic programs and ongoing inpatient management will give the resident the medical knowledge necessary to provide high quality care to their podiatric patients. This will be sequential rotation once a week for three months. A two-week elective block rotation is also available in the second or third year.