Orthopaedic Surgery Residency Program

Karen Bovid, MD
Karen Bovid, MD
Program Director

Welcome from the Program Director

Thank you for showing interest in our great program. This residency offers a unique set of strengths and opportunities that have been attracting students since 1966. That’s over half a century of excellence in the care of musculoskeletal pathology exemplified with an exceptional success rate in graduates passing their board examinations. Kalamazoo’s dynamic medical community has a rich history to include Drs. W.E. Upjohn and Homer H. Stryker, whose legacy in medicine and orthopaedic surgery continues today.

Our faculty consists of over 30 resident-centric individuals, both full-time academic and community hospital-based, that provide an excellent balance to optimize your orthopaedics exposure. We utilize three separate and independent healthcare systems that offer different infrastructures toward patient care that includes but are not limited to:

  • Various electronic medical records.
  • Both Level 1 and Level 2 trauma centers.
  • Dedicated pediatric care.
  • National hospital awards in quality improvement and overall quality.

Affiliation with the medical school bridges bench to bedside concepts with research opportunities for scientific exploration, providing resources to facilitate traditional academic pursuits: librarians, statisticians, clinical research coordinators, regulatory specialists, and a scientific writer. Consider our rich and balanced curriculum offering didactics from medical school faculty and resident surgeons. Other educational formats include world-class Visiting Professors, monthly Grand Rounds, hands-on bio-skills labs, anatomy labs, a state-of-the-art simulation center, basic science laboratory for biomedical and tissue engineering, a monthly Journal Club, an AO Techniques course, dedicated national leadership courses, and an opportunity to serve the underprivileged in Honduras.

We are more than a residency dedicated to developing compassionate and competent surgeons well prepared for a general orthopaedic surgery career or poised to excel in fellowship. We aim to produce surgeons capable of leading at local, state, regional, or national levels. Our goal is to provide a vibrant and supportive learning environment for physicians to reach their most profound potential.

Update for Residency Interviews

Our residency interviews for the 2023 Match will be conducted virtually. Select the Applicant and Interview Process link for more information on applying to our program.

FAQs

  • How do I apply to be a visiting medical student?
    Information is located on the visiting students program page.
  • How many resident positions are offered?
    We are accredited for three residents each year.
  • What is the typical surgical experience?
    Our residents typically graduate with over 2000 cases entered in the ACGME case log system. Yearly surgical activity ranges from an average of 150 cases during your PGY-1 year, where 6 months are spent on orthopaedic surgery rotations, to over 500 cases during your PGY-5 year.
  • What is a typical day for a WMed Orthopaedic Surgery resident?

    A typical day involves rounding and clinical responsibilities with educational lectures spaced throughout the week. What sets our program apart is the autonomy our residents receive from day one. After you admit or operate on a patient, they become yours. Each resident is responsible for seeing and caring for their own patients and service. This autonomy affords even junior residents the opportunity to feel a sense of purpose and responsibility and it prepares you for the day when you will no longer have an attending assisting with decision making. That being said, our attendings are available at all times for any questions. They will also round independently, and share concerns or suggestions if/when warranted.

    In our program, residents operate early and often. It is extremely rare for a case to be double-scrubbed, except for those that are the most rare/interesting. We typically have more cases going on than we do residents to cover. Our rotation-based case assignments ensure you work one-on-one in a mentorship model with your rotation preceptor. This allows the building of trust and developing a graduated level of responsibility. This earned trust leads to our residents receiving outstanding, hands-on operative experience early in their career. By the time our residents become chiefs they are doing nearly all cases in their entirety while the attending assists and gives pointers. This leads to comfort and confidence beginning practice with or without fellowship.

    With an average daily schedule, you begin rounding by 6 a.m. There are transition of care meetings with fellow residents and attendings at both hospitals to review the previous call’s cases and experiences, and discuss care for patients continuing on the orthopedic service. You account for your own patients throughout the workday. Our junior residents gain valuable clinical and operative experience rather than running errands and managing the floor. You are assigned to a rotation service and once the clinic and surgical activities are completed for that specialty service, your day is done. You will work hard, have a large degree of autonomy, and have an outstanding quality of life that is conducive to studying, personal and/or family life, and wellness.

Our Mission

We are a hybrid academic/community based orthopaedic surgery residency program boasting extensive surgical exposure coupled with excellent clinical and academic support to provide an exceptional experience in treating pathology related to the musculoskeletal system.

Our Aims

  • To teach solid scientific and orthopaedic principles, sound surgical decision making and procedural skills to prepare the graduate for a career in general orthopaedics or for fellowship specialty training
  • To develop team building and leadership skills that remain patient centric
  • To create a diverse, inclusive, and welcoming orthopaedic community that nurtures the growth and education of the residents and faculty and equitably serves patients from all backgrounds

DEI at WMed Orthopaedic Surgery

Our residency program supports WMed’s mission committed to excellence and health equity. Our program is dedicated to giving you the tools, team, and inclusive environment to support your development into an outstanding orthopaedic surgeon. As our profession works toward greater inclusion of underrepresented groups and a broader reflection of the communities we serve, we are committed to train surgeons who will lead that change.