Podiatry

Western Reserve Hospital offers a 3 year residency program in Podiatric Medicine and Surgery as outlined by the Council on Podiatric Medical Education. The Western Reserve Hospital administration, Graduate Medical Education department, and podiatric faculty are committed to provide the necessary training and resources in the development of competent specialists in the field of podiatry.

Mission and Vision

The mission of the Western Reserve Hospital Podiatric Medicine and Surgery residency program is to develop a competent physician, skilled in the practice of Podiatry and its associated surgical techniques. This is accomplished by meeting or exceeding educational goals and objectives through competency based, compassionate, patient-centered learning strategies. Western Reserve Hospital provides an opportunity to become academically and procedurally proficient through training in the operating room, outpatient clinics, and wound care centers. Clinical exposure to all age groups, along with instruction in text, journal, and electronic resources is accomplished throughout the 3 years. The ultimate goal of our training program is excellence in patient care, recognized by colleagues and patients alike.

General Program

The three year podiatric Medicine and Surgery Residency at Western Reserve Hospital is designed to give the resident comprehensive medical and surgical experience while developing the skills necessary to provide excellent care in the management of podiatric patients. Through our patient population and accompanying training programs residents will become well-rounded and competent members of the health care team within the hospital setting. In addition, each resident will participate in the outpatient clinic twice per month in a private practice setting and at the Wound Care Center at St. Thomas Hospital. These combined experiences will develop resident skills in evaluating, diagnosing, and treating the patient and make Western Reserve Hospital a desirable program for podiatric training. Affiliations with Akron City, St. Thomas, Aultman, and Mercy Hospitals further enhance the residents' training.

Resident physicians are given the flexibility to tailor rotations and schedules to meet the demands of their busy lives. Exposure to practice management and research topics help each physician to become successful in their practice. Didactic education includes monthly journal clubs, board review, grand rounds, and hands-on surgical workshops. Approved for three positions, Western Reserve Hospital recruits one resident per year.

Curriculum

Throughout the three year program, the WRH Podiatric Medicine and Surgery residents participate in outpatient clinic experiences twice per month.

The following is a sample schedule for the full three years:

Pschedule

View this Chart in a PDF

First Year

The first year of the WRH Podiatric Medicine and Surgery Residency entails 6 and 1/2 months of rotation on the Western Reserve Hospital podiatry service. Five and 1/2 months are done in the inpatient setting, learning pre-op and post-operative care, basic surgical techniques, and proper functions as part of a health care team. These months are mainly at WRH, but may be at affiliated training sites in Akron or Canton. One month is spent in an outpatient office setting.

The remaining 5 1/2 months follow the CPME year 1 requirements. There is one month in Internal Medicine, Emergency Medicine, and General Surgery. These rotations are done at Western Reserve Hospital. One-half month experiences are spent in radiology, pathology, infectious disease, anesthesia, and behavioral medicine/psychiatry. These rotations are done at WRH and Akron City Hospital. These exposures are designed to increase the residents' knowledge of other disciplines and their importance to a podiatric physician.

Second Year

Year two expands upon each resident's exposure in podiatric surgery and office based procedures. Residents will spend 11 months in the hospital with graduated responsibilities as each person progresses. One month is spent in an office setting, with focused education on learning how to effectively run an office, and learning systems based practices.

Some second year objectives include:

Performing all aspects of perioperative management of patients undergoing podiatric surgery.
Beginning work on research projects, retrospective study, evaluation, or major subject reviews towards publication.
Execute basic and reconstructive rearfoot and ankle procedures.
Manage trauma of the foot and ankle, including complicated fractures and dislocations, puncture wounds and diabetic limb infections.
Assist and guide new students in the acquisition of knowledge by providing experiences during their externship rotations.

Third Year

During the third year of training, each resident will continue to master the surgical skills necessary to perform rearfoot and forefoot surgeries independently. 11 months are spent in the hospital for this purpose. A one month rotation is spent in the office, continuing to develop as an office practitioner. During this year there will be additional responsibilities in the instruction of PGY-1 and PGY-2 residents. There are also administrative duties in scheduling and participating in clinical performance indicators.

Some third year goals are as follows:

Execute, master, and teach basic forefoot procedures including digital, lesser metatarsal, first ray, nail and soft tissue procedures.
Effectively interact with other medical and surgical specialties in a professional and educational manner
Finish and publish a research project
Manage extensive trauma of the foot and ankle
Grasp the knowledge of practice management to become a successful podiatric physician and surgeon
Continue to educate new residents, students, and other residency programs in podiatric surgical techniques.

Didactics

Throughout each year, there are numerous didactic activities which are required. There are weekly board review sessions, monthly journal club, and hands-on surgical workshops.

All Western Reserve Hospital residents must attend both a monthly tumor board session and mortality review conference. These review any surgical oncologic cases as well as any pre-operative diagnostic challenges for current cases. There is attendance by the primary care physician, as well as all disciplines involved in the patient care plan including radiology, oncology, radiation oncology, pathology, and surgery.

There is also noon lecture, grand rounds, and morning report lectures each Tuesday through Thursday on a rotating basis.

Podiatry Didactics 2015-2016