Welcome to the Tulane Department of Orthopaedics. This is my 15th year as faculty and 4th year as Program Director for our 5-year ACGME-accredited categorical residency program here in New Orleans.
Currently, our program has 20 residents who are as diverse and dynamic as the city in which we live and care for our patients. Thanks to a resident complement increase approved by the ACGME this year, we will continue to grow in size with four residents per class moving forward.
Our mission here at Tulane Orthopaedics is to provide a proper foundation for our residents to ensure they develop the knowledge, skills and behaviors required to succeed in their own practices upon completion of our program. The American Board of Orthopaedic Surgery (ABOS) examination is the measure of the minimum requirements to practice orthopaedic surgery; however, it is not just the goal of our program to train residents to pass the ABOS exam. Our broader goal is to instill in our residents a passion for providing expert orthopaedic care to their patients, as well as the desire to continue the educational process long after completion of residency and passing the ABOS exam.
We want our residents to join our team feeling supported and valued so that all may thrive. Our faculty provide training in all core orthopaedic subspecialities, and act as models for expert patient care, while encouraging our residents to develop their own bedside manner as they build upon their knowledge and experience. Our faculty provide opportunities for mentorship of all residents, professionally and personally in the OR, clinic and academic office. We have ample opportunities for research, including hands-on experience in our SIM-lab, cadaver lab, MTF lab, and numerous ongoing projects including innovative studies and writing papers for publication in all orthopaedic subspecialty areas. Each year we evaluate our residency rotation schedule with the feedback and recommendations of our current residents and faculty and make updates to ensure we are providing the most comprehensive learning environment available.
Our program offers training opportunities at several site locations. Our primary site is Tulane University Medical Center, our downtown campus where we provide spine surgery and both elective and trauma care. We also have rotations at University Medical Center (the only Level 1 trauma system in the Greater New Orleans metro area); Tulane Lakeside Hospital (our suburban hospital where our sports medicine, joints replacement/ reconstruction, and hand surgery faculty primarily operate); the Veterans Affairs “VA” facility (where we care for the men and women who have given so generously to our country); Children’s Hospital of New Orleans (the first and largest pediatric hospital providing care to children in Louisiana and the Gulf South); Tulane Institute of Sports Medicine (where initial and follow-up care are provided to amateur, collegiate and professional athletes alike at our uptown and lakeview clinics); and several additional rotations with local satellite hospital systems.
Residency is often one of the most intense times in a surgeon’s life, as it demands a great deal of energy and focus. Although our primary role is to provide expert care to our diverse patient population and prepare orthopaedic surgeons for their own careers beyond residency, we also strive to provide an environment to promote personal well-being and where our residents can enjoy their time outside of the hospital. The City of New Orleans is one of the easiest cities in the world to let the good times roll, and we encourage our residents to get out and take advantage of all our city has to offer when they can.
I am proud of our program and the part it has played in the achievements of so many Tulane Orthopaedics graduates. Each year I look forward to recruiting new medical students to join our residency and am excited about the 2024-2025 application season already underway.
We look forward to meeting you and hope to have the opportunity to show you more about our program. Follow us on social media: Tulane Residency Program Instagram and Tulane Orthopaedics Facebook, Instagram and Twitter.
Michael O’Brien, MD
Program Director, Orthopaedic Surgery Residency
Professor of Clinical Orthopaedics
Chief, Shoulder & Elbow Surgery
Lee C. Schlesinger endowed Chair of Orthopaedics
Tulane University School of Medicine
