A Welcome from the Program Director
Welcome to the Kirk Kerkorian School of Medicine at UNLV Orthopaedic Surgery Residency Program. Thank you for your interest in our program. The goal of the orthopaedic residency program is to develop competent orthopaedic surgeons who have the knowledge base, technical skills, and interpersonal skills necessary to provide cost-effective, compassionate, exemplary patient care and engage in the ethical practice of orthopaedic surgery. In addition, the secondary goal is for our graduates to remain competent through the critical evaluation and to incorporate into their practice of orthopaedics knowledge from courses, meetings, and published material.
The didactic, surgical simulation, and clinical training at the Kirk Kerkorian School of Medicine will hold strictly to the ACGME concept of “graded and progressive responsibility” through the use of competency-based methods of evaluation and training. Our program values responsibility, honesty, integrity, and transparency in the educational development of our residents. Our ultimate goal is to recruit and graduate orthopaedic surgeons who have developed the high-level skills necessary to enter the unsupervised practice of orthopaedic surgery and who will maintain an exemplary level of practice through the life-long learning process. Graduates of our program will be eligible for certification by the American Board of Orthopaedic Surgery.
Thank you for your interest in our program. We hope you will consider the Kirk Kerkorian School of Medicine at UNLV Orthopaedic Surgery for your training.
Brock T. Wentz, MD
Program Director
Contact
Please contact us about questions you may have regarding your application to the program and interview.
Phone: 702-671-2272
Email: orthopaedicsurgery.residency@medicine.unlv.edu
Program Overview
The Kirk Kerkorian School of Medicine at UNLV Department of Orthopaedic Surgery is a university-based program of subspecialty-trained faculty providing an exemplary educational experience for a diverse resident staff. The primary training site for the division is University Medical Center (UMC) of Southern Nevada. Secondary rotation sites include Sunrise Hospital, Southern Hills Hospital, North Las Vegas VA Medical Center, and a combination of outpatient surgery centers.
The faculty are fully committed to resident education with fellowshiptrained expertise in trauma, spine care, pediatric orthopaedics, sports medicine, adult reconstructive, shoulder/elbow, hand surgery, and foot/ankle surgery.
Curriculum
Our two-year, rotating core curriculum is based on the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons (AAOS) . The core curriculum is supplemented with faculty-facilitated didactics.
- Grand Rounds: Second, third, fourth, and fifth Wednesday each month*
- Morbidity and mortality (M&M) conference: First Wednesday each month*
- Resident Core Curriculum: Wednesday Weekly*
- Journal Club: Second Wednesday each month*
- Surgical Skills Lab: Wednesday weekly
- Subspecialty indications conferences: Weekly (day and time TBD by rotation director)
- Subspecialty Journal Club: Monthly (day and time TBD by rotation director)
- Surgical Simulation
- Cadaveric Anatomy dissections
- Fracture conferences
*Note: Surgical Skills lab, Grand Rounds, M&M conference, Resident Core Curriculum Conferences, and Journal Club are core conferences in which attendance is mandatory; protected time is allocated from 7 a.m. to 10 a.m. Wednesday.
Rotations and Block Schedule
- Orthopaedic Trauma – 3 months
- Orthopaedic Spine – 1 month
- Orthopaedic Hand – 1 month
- Orthopaedic Peds – 1 month
- Emergency Department – 1 month
- Trauma ICU – 1 month
- General Surgery Trauma – 1 month
- Plastic Surgery – 1 month
- Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation – 1 month
- Rheumatology – 1 month
- Orthopaedic Trauma Night Float – 3 months
- Orthopaedic Trauma – 3 months
- Hand – 2 months
- Research – 1 month
- Pediatrics – 3 months
- Spine – 3 months
- Adult Reconstruction – 3 months
- Sports/Shoulder & Elbow – 3 months
- VA – 3 months
- Orthopaedic Trauma – 3 months
- VA – 3 months
- Pediatrics – 3 months
- Foot & Ankle/Research – 3 months
- Orthopaedic Trauma – 3 months
- Adult Reconstruction – 3 months
- Sports/Shoulder & Elbow – 3 months
- Hand – 3 months
*An Orthopedic Oncology rotation will eventually be built into the block schedule as well.
Courses and Conferences
Please note, funding for travel will be based on availability of funds, and travel restrictions will be taken into consideration.
Residents will be sponsored to attend any educational meeting at which they have been accepted to present their research. With two months of research built into the block schedule, we anticipate that most, if not all, residents will have the opportunity to present their research projects at national meetings. In addition, each resident will attend an educational conference during each year of their residency. That schedule is as follows:
- PGY I
-
Southwest Orthopaedic Trauma Association annual meeting - This meeting is an opportunity for all interns to review foundational principles of orthopaedic trauma care and to practice valuable skills such as splinting and casting.
- PGY II
-
AO Trauma Course - Basic Principles of Fracture Management
- PGY III
-
Enneking Pathology Seminar
- PGY IV
-
Resident’s choice for skills course
- PGY V
-
American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons annual meeting, as well as a board review course (AAOS or Miller’s).
Program Leadership
Resident Life
Our core philosophy is to train competent, compassionate, and committed residents to become the best physicians they can be. The block schedule, courses, conferences, and didactic sessions have been created with care to ensure the best possible learning environment. While we practice graduated autonomy, we also believe in giving residents significant experience and responsibility early in their training. Interns will be expected to respond to consultations and emergencies on their first day of residency (with proper guidance and oversight), as well as be expected to participate in surgical procedures. By the end of their three months on the orthopaedic trauma rotation, they will be proficient at many of the basic skills required to manage the acutely injured patient. During the PGY II year, our residents participate in a night float system. They will learn to make autonomous decisions, manage care, and prepare patients for surgery. By the time residents have reached their third year, they are ready to progress in their surgical skills and have many opportunities to be in the operative theater. By the time residents reach their chief year, they will be ready to be leaders of a team and act as junior attending surgeons in the operating room. We fully anticipate that our residents will be well prepared to enter practice and stand as leaders in their community.
In addition to top-notch training, there are many reasons to love life in Las Vegas as a Kirk Kerkorian School of Medicine at UNLV orthopaedic resident. We believe we have struck the ideal work-life balance, and our happy residents will attest to that fact. The night float system, for example, has been very popular because it decreases the amount of calls taken during the rest of residency, and it eliminates the need for cross coverage. Another unique feature of training is that our faculty span both academic and private practice, so our residents get to see both aspects of practice. They are immersed in academic medicine at the county hospital, and learn the business of medicine in private clinics and surgery centers. Outside the hospital, the city of Las Vegas offers world-class dining, shopping, and entertainment, and is sure to attract many friends and relatives for visits. The warm climate allows for year-round recreational activities and exploration of the surrounding natural wonderlands such as Red Rock Canyon, Mount Charleston, Lake Mead, and Grand Canyon and Zion National Parks. An international airport makes travel away from the city easy and affordable. Because there is no state income tax, most residents are able to purchase homes if they choose. Cost of living is low, making Las Vegas an easy place to live on a resident’s salary. Many of our residents have families and children, and have found that Las Vegas is a great place for raising a family. Come see why our residents are some of the happiest in the country!
Life After Residency
- Robert Mercer, MD: Orthopaedic Trauma, University of New Mexico School of Medicine
- Payton Schwantes, MD : Arthroplasty, Oregon Health and Sciences University
- Toure Vashon, MD: Spine Surgery, Spine Institute of Arizona
- Robert “Robbie” Birch, MD: Adult Reconstructive Orthopaedics, Miami Orthopedics & Sports Medicine Institute
- Kelvin Kim, MD: Sports Medicine, University of Washington
- Ryan Lubbe, MD: Hand Surgery, Indiana Hand to Shoulder Center
- Casey Roehr, MD: Orthopaedic Trauma, Tampa General Hospital
- Jessica Albanese, MD: Adult Spinal Surgery, Duke University Hospital
- Gregory Daubs, MD: Orthopaedic Trauma, Las Vegas Trauma Fellowship Program
- Janel Pietryga, MD: Orthopaedic Trauma, University of California, San Diego
- Jeffrey Surina, MD: Orthopaedic Trauma, Sonoran Orthopaedic Trauma Surgeons
- Sean Davis, MD: Sports Medicine, Mississippi Sports Medicine & Orthopaedic Center
- Aaron Gray, MD: Hand Surgery, Indiana Hand to Shoulder Center
- Tyler Kent, MD: Sports Medicine, Southern California Orthopedic Institute
- Brandon Romero, MD: Shoulder & Elbow, University of Pennsylvania Health System
Training Sites
University Medical Center
UMC is the publicly-funded, academic medical center with a rich history of providing life-saving treatment in Southern Nevada. UMC serves as the anchor hospital for Clark County and the city of Las Vegas. At UMC, residents have the opportunity to care for a diverse patient population that includes individuals from Southern Nevada and all over the world. This experience affords residents the opportunity to manage a wide-array of pathologic conditions.
Orthopaedic & Spine Institute
Orthopaedic & Spine Institute is the outpatient practice setting for the attending faculty at UMC. Outpatient clinics include trauma, spine, pediatric orthopaedics and upper extremity.
VA Southern Nevada Healthcare System
The VA Southern Nevada Healthcare System offers residents the opportunity to care for the nation's veterans and contribute to the VA's mission of providing exceptional healthcare that improves veterans' health and well-being.
Community Partnerships
Several subspecialty rotations take place in community practice settings to allow residents to become familiar with physicians in our community and the private practice model. Partnerships also include and .
How To Apply
Applications will be accepted through Electronic Residency Application Service (ERAS). The residency selection committee will not review your application until it is complete. Your file will be reviewed by members of the residency selection committee once the following have been received via ERAS:
- ERAS Application
- Medical school transcript
- Three letters of recommendation
- United States Medical Licensing Examination (USLME) Step I and USMLE II (if available)
- US Citizen, Permanent Resident status