Study Guide for Orthopedics

General Orthopedics Rotation
Syllabus & Course Objectives
 

1. COURSE TITLE: GENERAL ORTHOPEDICS ROTATION
2. COURSE/PREFIX NUMBER: PHA 415
3. CREDIT HOURS: 3

4. CONTACT HOURS: 172 clinical hours

5. COURSE PREREQUISITES/COREQUISITES: Successful completion of Year I of the PA Program.

6. COURSE DESCRIPTION:

   This required one-month rotation is conducted in both the clinical and hospital settings. The purpose of this rotation is to educate the physician assistant student in the diagnosis, treatment, and management of both the inpatient and outpatient orthopedic patient. If at all possible, this rotation will emphasize orthopedic conditions and disease entities commonly encountered in the rural primary care setting.

7. COURSE OBJECTIVES: By the end of the rotation, the student will:
   1. Demonstrate a sensitivity to the emotional, social, and ethnic backgrounds of orthopedic patients by effectively interacting with them.
   2. Communicate and perform professionally with other members of the health care team in an orthopedic setting.
   3. Recognize limitations by appropriately seeking help from supervising preceptor and consulting reference materials.
   4. Demonstrate professional demeanor by adherence to dress code, attendance expectations, general behavior guidelines, and response to constructive criticism in the orthopedic setting.
   5. Make organized oral case presentations to the preceptor that demonstrate appreciation of pertinent orthopedic findings.
   6. Perform complete and problem-oriented medical histories and physical examinations on orthopedic patients.
   7. Identify normal and abnormal findings in the comprehensive history and physical examination of the orthopedic patient.
   8. Accurately record, in the appropriate format, medical histories; physical examinations; pre-, intra-, and post-op notes; and progress notes.
   9. Identify, order, and interpret appropriate diagnostic procedures related to the orthopedic patient.
   10. Formulate an appropriate problem list and differential diagnosis based on history, physical examination, and laboratory data.
   11. Formulate and implement an appropriate management/treatment plan based on history, physical examination, and laboratory data, as approved and supervised by the preceptor.
   12. Demonstrate the proper technique for sterile scrubbing, gowning and gloving, and maintaining a sterile environment while performing surgical orthopedic procedures.
   13. Perform technical procedures related to the care of the orthopedic patient.
   14. Provide counseling regarding health promotion and disease prevention appropriate to the orthopedic patient.
   15. Identify orthopedic conditions and disease entities commonly encountered in the rural primary care setting.

8. LECTURE/LAB/CLINICAL SCHEDULE: Rotations individually assigned.

9. COURSE GUIDELINES AND EXPECTATIONS: 
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   Policies will be consistent with those published in the Clinical Year Manual and the College Student Handbook. The 7-point grading scale in the College Student Handbook will be used..
   .

10. METHOD OF EVALUATION: 

Preceptor evaluation	50%
EOR exam	30%
Oral Case*	10%
Written assignment*	10%
*If no oral case, written assignment counts 20%

If the written assignment is a SOAP note, the subject of the written case must be an actual, verifiable patient seen during that rotation. Written cases about unverifiable patients will be treated as examples of academic dishonesty

11. REQUIRED TEXTS/REFERENCE MATERIALS – In addition to books required for all rotations:
    • Mercier. Practical Orthopedics, newest ed. Mosby.
    • Niederhuber (1998). Fundamentals of surgery. Appleton & Lange.
      .

12. DATE OF SYLLABUS APPROVAL/REVIEW/REVISION: May 31, 2005