WILLIAM BEAUMONT ARMY MEDICAL CENTER, Texas — With 25 residents on rotation and 12 staff surgeons, the Orthopaedic Residency Program here is one of the largest in the Department of Defense. The program is also the only true combined military and civilian orthopedic surgery residency program. 

According to the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education in 2016, the program ranked in the 96th percentile for Orthopaedic In-Training Examination scores among 239 programs across the nation, both military and civilian. 

“That was unheard of 10 years ago for WBAMC,” said Army Lt. Col. Justin Orr, orthopaedic residency program director. 

Army Capt. Marina Rodriguez, a third year resident with William Beaumont Army Medical Center’s Orthopaedic Residency Program, assists with a total ankle replacement on a beneficiary. (U.S. Army photo by Marcy Sanchez)

Orr gives credit to the program’s leadership for exposing residents to the experience needed for across-the-board proficiency. Exposure includes spending 30 percent of their residency at Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center-El Paso/University Medical Center Medical Center, a level I trauma center, and three-month rotations at the both the University of Utah in Salt Lake City and Rush University Medical Center in Chicago to augment pediatric and total joint reconstructive exposure. 

Another important aspect of WBAMC’s program is the attention each resident receives throughout his or her residency. 

“It’s important to note that there is one-to-one training, a surgeon to a resident,” said Army Col. Mark P. Pallis, chairman of WBAMC’s Orthopaedic Residency Program. “Everybody is one-on-one.” 

The majority of the program’s residency is spent at WBAMC, a level III trauma center, providing orthopedic surgery services which cover musculoskeletal and rehabilitative needs of all service members, military dependents, retirees, and eligible veterans in the El Paso metropolitan area. Services include outpatient orthopedic clinics in adult reconstruction, foot and ankle, hand and microsurgery, pediatrics, spine and sports medicine. 

“We work very hard, enjoy working, enjoy what we do and enjoy being around one another,” said Army Capt. John Dunn, chief resident. “The different experiences we would have during our outside rotations are slightly different from what we see at WBAMC, and allow residents to broaden their skills.”

Besides full schedules at the medical centers, residents kept busy by contributing more than 40 peer-reviewed publications to multiple orthopaedic surgery journals, in addition to countless national conference presentations. Residents also earned bragging rights winning the 2016 Texas Orthopaedic Association Quiz Bowl, surpassing all other Texas military and civilian residencies.

“Another aspect that is important to us is to make sure morale is good,” said Army Capt. Jeffrey Hoffman, chief resident. “It’s good to have production in your residency but we also want to make sure that people enjoy their residency.” 

Other accolades include the program’s total case volume which is rated by the ACGME in the 93rd percentile in the nation along with a 91st percentile rating for trauma experience, due mostly to the unique relationship the program has with Texas Tech/UMC. 

The exposure to a military medical center, civilian trauma center, major civilian medical centers and private practices is what prepares the residents, said Pallis. The addition of 1st Armored Division to Fort Bliss in 2011 also provided residents with more surgery options, adding tens of thousands of Soldiers and dependents to WBAMC’s beneficiary population, thereby increasing case volume and opportunities for residents.

A testament to the success of WBAMC’s residency program is the desire of medical school applicants to attend the program. Last year, out of 30 applicants, one third chose WBAMC as their program of choice. 

“A lot of it comes from the top. Recruiting the right type of staff, getting the right type of faculty who want to train residents,” said Orr. “Colonel Pallis has done a good job at bringing those assets to WBAMC and developing a setting that breeds an environment of success.”

This is demonstrated by the fact that WBAMC orthopaedic surgeons and residents serve on several committees and task forces in many national organizations, including the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons, the Society of Military Orthopaedic Surgeons, the Arthroscopy Association of North America, and the American Orthopaedic Association. Several surgeons also hold significant leadership positions in these organizations, helping to drive the quality of care afforded to patients across the country.

Orr also gives credit for the program’s success to the Soldiers and civilians of the orthopaedic clinic at WBAMC.

“It’s not just us, it’s the Soldiers too,” said Orr. “We’re a team. It’s an atmosphere of excellence and we build upon each other.”

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