Welcome to the Guthrie Robert Packer Hospital Orthopaedic Surgery Residency Program
The Orthopaedic surgery residency program is a comprehensive, five-year program designed to develop outstanding subspecialty and community Orthopaedic surgeons. Medical students who complete the Guthrie Orthopaedic surgery program can expect to graduate with the training and experience to prepare them for a successful career in Orthopaedic surgery.
Our program boasts a combination of high case volume, high faculty-to-resident ratio, and robust clinical support infrastructure. We will prepare you to compete for, and succeed in, subspecialty fellowship training, or serve as a well-rounded Orthopaedic surgeon in a community setting.
Program Structure - The Orthopaedic surgery residency program consists of three five-year categorical positions each year, including an Orthopaedic surgery internship year.
Guthrie Orthopaedic surgery residents will enjoy the benefits of top-notch training from top subspecialists in Orthopaedic surgery. Local rotations in adult reconstruction surgery, sports medicine, shoulder surgery, hand surgery, spine surgery, foot and ankle surgery, and orthopaedic trauma surgery provide a broad-based exposure across the spectrum of Orthopaedic subspecialties. In addition, the program features a pediatric Orthopaedic surgery rotation at St. Christopher’s Children’s Hospital in Philadelphia. This pediatric experience also represents the only rotation outside the local area. In the scheduled elective block during the PGY-4 year, residents obtain additional training in a specific subspecialty area of interest, at Guthrie locations, or external sites.
Medical Students - Guthrie has a teaching affiliation agreement with the Geisinger Commonwealth School of Medicine and is a primary clinical training site for third and fourth-year students. This results in a strong academic environment and culture, giving residents the opportunity to work as part of a team with medical students and become involved in their education as well.
Research - The Guthrie Orthopaedic department faculty includes a robust research program, with multiple projects in various stages of completion, and on-going student/resident mentorship through the research process.
The Donald Guthrie Foundation, our research institute, is located right on the campus, offering support for residents conducting clinical research. Guthrie is also affiliated with the Meinig School of Biomedical Engineering at Cornell University for those with interest in basic science research.
Curriculum - The curriculum is innovative and forward-looking. It exists as a living, dynamic, digital, cloud-based repository of reading requirements, articles, lectures, and training videos representing the knowledge base residents are expected to learn and integrate during each rotation. Additionally, the weekly half-day protected academic time consists of a combination of lectures and skills lab events, covering the breadth of essential exam topics annually.
The intern modules are completed as part of a month-long “Orthopaedic boot camp” style rotation, with lectures, team-building activities, and hands-on cadaveric and skills lab modules designed to allow interns to hit the ground running as they start their PGY-2 year.
The Guthrie system, and the Twin Tiers region, is a wonderful place to live, work, and play, complementing what we consider to be top-notch Orthopaedic surgical training. Thanks, and feel free to contact us if you have any questions!