Orthopaedic Residency

The residents involved in the Orthopaedic Residency Program at SIU School of Medicine receive the necessary training to become successful, confident and competent orthopaedic surgeons.

The program, according to past and current residents, is so successful because it’s a sum of many parts: practical experience, clinic work, patient interaction, continuity of care and curriculum.

The program is conducted in two university-affiliated, private hospitals in Springfield, Illinois: St. John’s Hospital and Memorial Medical Center. There are approximately 120 orthopaedic beds and 5,000 orthopaedic admissions per year.

The Orthopaedics Division includes nine full-time and 12 community-based faculties who provide outpatient office experience and inpatient orthopaedic management at the two hospitals. In addition, the state-designated Level 1 Trauma Center, which alternates between the two hospitals, provides experience in emergency trauma treatment, while the network of Illinois' children's clinics and Neonatal Intensive Care Unit at St. John's Children’s Hospital provide a rich experience in congenital and developmental musculoskeletal problems.

The five-year program is fully accredited by the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education to fulfill training requirements for residents to take the American Board of Orthopaedic Surgery.

The program draws students from all over the country, who enjoy mutually rewarding academic and personal relationships.

“We believe our residency program provides a strong base for fellowship and general practice. What makes our program special lies in the people involved with the program. We feel this is what sets us apart,” says Anita Weinhoeft, residency program coordinator, who is also known as “surrogate mother” to many residents.

Each year, the program has 15 positions, with three new residency candidates accepted annually, so 15 residents -- three in each level – are in training at all times. During the first year, residents spend three months in orthopedics and the remaining nine months rotating among the various specialty departments. Second-, third- and fourth-year residents spend time on the general orthopaedic and trauma services at both hospitals, as well as rotate in subspecialty services, including pediatric orthopaedics, hand, sports medicine, foot, tumor, adult reconstruction and spine. They enjoy increased responsibilities for patient care and direct surgical management. In the final year, they serve as administrative chief resident for four months and chief resident for two four-month intervals at each of the hospitals.

Residents begin training the last week of June with orientation and paperwork. Rotations begin July 1. Senior residents graduate in June during the E. Shannon Stauffer Visiting Professor Weekend.

The majority of residents proceed to fellowships in a wide range of areas. The SIU School of Medicine’s Orthopaedics Residency division is re-establishing the respected Spine Fellowship. Selected recipients will begin Aug. 1, 2007.

Residents are expected to complete a clinical or basic research project yearly in PGY 3-5. To facilitate research, the division of Orthopaedics has a Ph.D. researcher, molecular biology and a biomechanics laboratory. There is also a clinical researcher to facilitate clinical research projects. Residents are given two months of dedicated research time in their second and third years.

*SIU ranks in the 83rd percentile of every residency program in the country, in terms of residents’ scores for passing the board exams.

* The program was founded 35 years ago by Dr. E. Shannon Stauffer, a world-renowned spine specialist. Senior residents select one person from the SIU School of Medicine faculty each year to receive the coveted E. Shannon Stauffer Excellence in Teaching Award.

Applications are accepted ONLY by the Electronic Residency Application Service (ERAS). Three letters of recommendation are required and should be received from the chairman or program director of an orthopaedic department. No other documentation is required.

Applications are reviewed by a Residency Selection Committee. Interviews are usually granted to those with superior academic credentials and well-rounded applications. Most applicants invited for an interview have Step I Board scores of 220 or higher and are ranked in the top third of their medical school class.

Applications are due Nov. 1 each year.

Contact the Office of Residency Affairs, Orthopaedic Residency Program, Attn: Anita Weinhoeft, Residency Coordinator, SIU School of Medicine, PO Box 19679, Springfield, Illinois, 62794-9679; (217) 545-6155;
e-mail: residency@siumed.edu or aweinhoeft@siumed.edu.