Podiatric Rotations

Residents who participate in the SSM Health DePaul Hospital Podiatric Residency Program can anticipate using each rotation they complete as a building block for their career. They will be exposed to a variety of podiatric situations, enabling them to learn to perform the following skills:

1. Preoperative evaluation and assessment of a patient for elective foot/ankle surgery; this would include a history and physical, differential diagnosis, selection and rationale of appropriate procedures and the ordering/interpretation of lab testing and imaging studies
2. Postoperative care of patients undergoing foot and ankle surgery
3. Comprehensive neurological and vascular examinations needed for podiatric care
4. Aspiration/injection techniques and immobilization techniques
5. Biomechanical evaluation and assessment of the lower extremity
6. Management of common complications of surgical or conservative care and application of appropriate corrective treatment
7. Ordering and interpretation of laboratory tests and imaging studies
8. Appropriate documentation for all types of podiatric surgical and non-surgical patient care

Podiatric Office Rotation

This rotation is completed primarily under the direction of the podiatric residency director. Residents will learn both conservative treatment and minor surgical office procedures, how to multitask the flow of patients throughout the office, office-scheduling techniques, documentation and types of reimbursement processes. They will gain experience in the evaluation process of common foot and ankle ailments, providing treatment options, developing a plan of follow-up care and finding opportunities for preventative measures.

Residents will begin to develop their patient communication skills in an attempt to increase patient adherence to treatment, a vital component of office management.

Podiatric Surgery Rotation

The primary site for the resident’s surgical rotation is at SSM Health DePaul Hospital – St. Louis. Off-site rotations include all adult SSM Health-St. Louis facilities including St. Mary’s, St. Clare, St. Joseph, and St. Joseph’s West Hospitals. St. Luke’s Des Peres Hospital, Mercy Hospital, and Affinia Healthcare Clinics. The program is also affiliated with 8 surgical centers throughout the St. Louis area. The resident’s surgical rotation spans a large portion of the program, enabling him or her to become proficient in numerous podiatric surgical procedures for both the inpatient and outpatient population.

Overall, residents in this program scrub on more than 2,000 foot and ankle cases annually. They will learn how to develop the pre-, intra- and post-op skills necessary for good surgical management of the podiatric patient.

Inpatient Care

Residents of the program participate in the daily care and management of their post-op surgical inpatients, developing working relationships with their attending physicians. They also serve patients who necessitate podiatric care secondary to an initial medical hospitalization and require a more complex, multi-disciplinary, patient care team approach. Non-podiatric specialty rotations aid residents in developing a more diversified approach to patient care management.

Army Rotation

This rotation is completed at General Leonard Wood Army Community Hospital located on U.S. Army base Fort Leonard Wood where residents have the opportunity to advance their training in arthroscopy, trauma, external and internal fixation. They also are exposed to active military patients with acute and chronic foot and ankle pathologies and participate in cutting-edge treatment protocols. This is offered to second- and third-year residents. During their intern year, students will be exposed to advanced arthroscopic cartilage repair, trauma, reconstructive foot and ankle surgery, as well as having almost every foot and ankle product at their disposal to learn from.

Europe Rotation

PGY-III Residents have the unique opportunity to work with and learn from leaders in foot and ankle surgery in Europe. These are well respected orthopedic surgeons who are active in teaching both locally and internationally, and who have a keen interest in the foot and ankle. Resident will rotate one week at a time in different clinical and hospital settings in Germany and Portugal. Rotation opportunities soon will expand to include Austria, Spain and England. This will give residents a different perspective and they will be exposed to different approaches and products used worldwide. They also will be training with orthopedic residents from other parts of the world. This is truly a unique opportunity.