Curriculum

The spine surgery team includes a fellow, resident, advanced practice providers, and the spine faculty.

Curriculum consists of:

• Faculty interaction
• Didactic lectures
• Conferences
• Outpatient clinics

Each section of the curriculum emphasizes basic science, diagnosis, pathogenesis, operative, and non-operative decision making, along with results and complications of all treatments. The outpatient component of the program is held at the Beaumont Orthopedic Institute, where the fellows see new patients, determine surgical plans, and manage their own postoperative patients.

The Department of Orthopedic Surgery fully supports the attendance of the fellow at one national meeting during the fellowship.

Annual meetings to choose from are:

• American Academy of Orthopedic Surgeons
• Cervical Spine Research Society
• North American Spine Society
• Scoliosis Research Society
• International Society for the Study of the Lumbar Spine (if held within the United States)

Spine lecture series

• Spine conference is held the third Monday of each month at 6:30 am
• Presentations given by the spine fellows on all aspects of spine topics with faculty mentors
• The audience is composed of the residents, related specialty residents, physical medicine, rehabilitation staff, and all attending staff spine faculty

Preoperative assessment conference

• Held twice per month at 6:30 am
• Surgical cases for the upcoming two weeks are presented by the fellows
• The fellows discuss the radiographs and formulates a surgical plan
• The plan is then discussed among the attendees which are the attending staff, the resident rotating on the spine service, and the rotating residents from outside hospitals

Spine journal club

• Held on the third Wednesday of each month (off-site)
• Articles are assigned from referred journals prior to the conference
• Residents present and discuss the articles as to the content, scientific method, and conclusions

Interesting x-ray case conference

• Held every Friday at 6:30 am
• The fellows present those cases related to spine to the residents
• Fellows give a didactic presentation on that particular topic
• Attendees include the fellows, all residents, rotating residents, medical students, the entire attending staff, and faculty

Mortality and morbidity conference

• Held the last Friday of each month at 6:30 am
• Attended by all of those listed above (the entire staff)
• Cases are selected by the chief residents in advance of the meeting and fellows are required to present those cases which are from the spine service

Anatomy conference

• Fellows teach the Thursday morning anatomy conferences which deal with the spine

Grand rounds

• Once a month in September through May, the department of orthopedic surgery hosts a grand rounds guest lecturer
• All the subspecialty topics are covered
• Fellows are required to attend these meetings and present cases at those involved with spine

Multidisciplinary neurosurgery spine conference 

• Held on the 4th Tuesday of every month at 7:00 am
• Surgical spine cases are presented by the neurosurgery residents and spine fellows
• Attended by a multidisciplinary group composed of neurosurgery faculty, residents, nurses, APPs, spine faculty, and fellows