Orthopedic Surgery Residency at Hackensack University Medical Center

Program Director Welcome Message 

Thank you for your interest in our Orthopedic Surgery Residency Program at Hackensack University Medical Center. U.S. News ranks Hackensack University Medical Center as the #1 adult and children’s hospital in New Jersey, and our Orthopedics Department is ranked #25 in the nation. In conjunction with Hackensack Meridian School of Medicine in Nutley, our ACGME-approved program offers an outstanding volume and variety of surgical cases, an accomplished and committed faculty, comprehensive didactic and clinical learning opportunities, and protected research time.

Three residents are chosen per year for a total complement of 15 residents. As there are no fellows, our residents are the educational focus of our training program. Our orthopedic faculty includes multiple Board-certified fellowship-trained attendings in each of the subspecialties, including Adult Reconstruction (Total Joint Surgery), Sports, Hand Surgery, Foot and Ankle Surgery, Shoulder and Elbow Surgery, Orthopedic Trauma Surgery, Pediatric Orthopedics, Spine Surgery, and Musculoskeletal Oncology. Under the tutelage of these faculty members, residents are trained in the newest techniques using state-of-the-art equipment and facilities.

Didactic education transpires during our three-hour weekly core curriculum session, consisting of lectures, resident case and research presentations, journal clubs, departmental self-critical analysis, and workshops. It is augmented by divisional specialty conferences and journal clubs. Clinical application of this knowledge by the residents takes place on inpatient wards, in outpatient clinics, in the Emergency Department, and in the operating rooms. Our busy Level- Trauma Center is staffed by orthopedic residents and faculty and provides a wealth of experience in treating fractures and other injuries.

Our brand new, fifty-bed Orthopedic Institute is conveniently located on our campus, and contains office space, inpatient wards, and operating rooms to be utilized by the residents. Our Orthopedic Learning Center, with its extensive access to journals, textbooks, and media, provides outstanding support for didactic learning and research. We also arrange for access to a Surgical Skills Laboratory, to be utilized during our PGY-1 Basic Surgical Skills Course, and also to be used to practice techniques in subsequent years.

Research projects in the department encompass both basic science and clinical efforts. Collaborative research with basic science faculty at Hackensack Meridian School of Medicine is available for those residents who have an interest in this area. With regard to clinical material, our department generates an abundance of cases (including almost a thousand total hip arthroplasties and almost two thousand total knee arthroplasties in academic year 2020-2021), providing ample opportunity for publication and presentation. Protected research rotations are incorporated into the schedule of every resident who enters our program.

Our department is proud to foster a supportive environment of collegial orthopedic inquiry and a philosophy of lifelong learning. We are a team consisting of a myriad of members: residents, medical students, nurses, allied health professionals, therapists, administrators, faculty, and others. Our orthopedic residents are the crucial linchpin of that team- and we will always strive to provide them with the resources and support that they need in order to develop into skillful, compassionate, and knowledgeable surgeons. We welcome you to take a closer look at what we have to offer at Hackensack University Medical Center, and urge you to contact us with any questions that you may have about our residency program in orthopedic surgery.

Sincerely,

Wayne S. Berberian, M.D., MBA
Program Director, Department of Orthopedics, HUMC
Professor of Orthopedics, Hackensack Meridian School of Medicine

Program Overview

• Five-year training program with three residents per year
• Eight-week rotations through the various orthopedic subspecialties
• Protected research rotations for all residents with guidance from the Research Committee
• Four-week Surgical Skills course conducted with all PGY-1 residents working together as a group
• Three-hour core curriculum once per week, as well as subspecialty conferences and journal clubs
• Level One Trauma Center
• Large volume and variety of elective cases
• Faculty mentorship program beginning at the PGY-1 level