Background/Eligibility
The Philadelphia Hand to Shoulder Center (PHSC)/Thomas Jefferson University (TJU) Hand Surgery Fellowship Program is directed by the physicians of PHSC, an elite group 16 orthopaedic and plastic surgeons. One of the oldest hand and upper extremity surgery groups in the country, incorporated in 1973, the physicians of PHSC have successfully trained over 250 fellows to date. PHSC is affiliated with Thomas Jefferson University Hospital and, as such our fellowship program is run in conjunction with the TJU Orthopedic Residency Program. Our program, which continues to be highly desired and popular, as evidenced by the hundreds of applications received each year, is one which past fellows proudly list on their CV’s.
Last year, over 15,000 new patients were evaluated and treated at PHSC, which resulted in a bountiful, diverse hands-on training experience for our fellows. As a result of our extensive patient volume, which is reasonably balanced between trauma and reconstruction, including congenital and arthritic cases, our 2022-2023 fellows participated in over 7,000 surgical procedures.
Seven one-year positions are available for this one-year, ACGME accredited fellowship program, which runs 12 consecutive months, from August 1st through July 31st. Compensation for each fellow is $86,212 per year. Other fellow benefits include fully paid malpractice and health insurance as well as funding for one meeting or conference per year. Additionally, each fellow is entitled to four weeks’ vacation during the term of the program.
Eligible candidates will have completed the training requirements for board certification in orthopaedic, general, or plastic surgery and must be committed and motivated to study the sub-specialty of hand surgery. Selection of fellows is mediated through the National Resident Matching Program (NRMP) in Hand Surgery.
The Program
Clinic sessions take place within many of the PHSC offices, a network of locations which include our main office in Center City Philadelphia as well as our 13 satellite offices throughout the Philadelphia suburbs and South Jersey. Surgeries are performed at various surgery centers and hospital locations throughout the area. Fellows participate in all phases of patient care including the initial work-up, surgery planning, post-operative follow-up care, and rehabilitation. Fellows operate in conjunction with and under the supervision of our attending physicians and all coordinating clinic time is conducted under the supervision of our attending physicians as well.
Residents rotating through the TJUH Departments of Orthopaedic and Plastic Surgery assist and receive training from our fellows. Upon completion of the program, fellows are knowledgeable and skilled in multiple areas, including: the clinical and surgical aspects of upper extremity care, upper extremity therapy/rehabilitation measures, as well as the development and management of a Hand Surgery Service.
Microvascular and small joint arthroscopy labs are available for training with appropriate equipment and technical assistance. It is expected that fellows will become proficient in micro-surgery early on in their training so that they can effectively partake in microvascular cases during the course of the year. Basic research facilities and projects are also available, and fellows are strongly encouraged to build their CV’s during their time in the program and take advantage of these opportunities.
Additional duties and responsibilities of the Hand Surgery Fellows include:
- Organizing resident and student teaching conferences;
- Conducting the weekly Hand Surgery Service Conferences;
- Attending and participating in scheduled Orthopaedic Journal Clubs and Grand Rounds Conferences;
- Seeking out and developing a clinical research project, completion of which is expected by the end of the training period;
- Developing a teaching Power Point collection for personal use in furthering the education of others after leaving the fellowship program.
Academics
Philadelphia Hand to Shoulder Center is affiliated with the Hand Rehabilitation Foundation (HRF), a 501(c)(3) non-profit corporation, which is made up of surgeons and therapists whose common mission is to promote research, education, and the advancement of surgery of the hand and upper extremity. HRF disseminates information to physicians and therapists who work with children and adults with hand disorders caused by injury, disease, or congenitally. HRF directly supports our fellowship program as a means to deliver on their mission. PHSC is currently the only hand surgery group to host, in conjunction with HRF, a hand therapy fellowship (the Evelyn J. Mackin Hand Therapy Fellowship), in addition to a hand surgery fellowship program. Each year, HRF hosts and sponsors an annual hand surgery and rehabilitation course in March, one that draws over 1,000 surgeon and therapist participants. All PHSC fellows participate in this phenomenally popular conference. HRF also supports the Jefferson Hand Club, a group made up of PHSC attendings and PHSC fellow alumni, with their annual fall meeting. Other annual academic conferences hosted and supported by HRF include the Lawrence H. Schneider Lectureship and the Dorothy Kaufmann Professorship Meeting.
The Following is Required to Apply:
- ASSH Online Hand Application
- Personal statement
- Passport size photo
- Curriculum vitae
- Copy of USMLE/COMLEX transcript (all three steps taken and passed)
- Three letters of recommendation:
- One of which should be from the chairman or program training director of your program
- Letters must be on official letterhead, signed, dated and may not be older than six months
- Copy of medical school transcript
- ECFMG Certificate (applicable to international graduates)
Please direct inquiries regarding the Hand Surgery Fellowship Program to:
Kim Maglio, Fellowship Coordinator
Philadelphia Hand to Shoulder Center
E-mail: kmaglio@handcenters.com