CASTING CALL
GEORGE OBSERVES a casting procedure performed by orthopaedic technician Frank Radja. Clinic days often involve a visit to the orthopaedic casting room, where the residents are instructed in the proper application of a wide variety of casts and splints by a master orthopaedic cast technician.
"When I look back to the first year of my residency and remember how overwhelming it all felt and how nervous I was, I realize how far I've come. It makes me feel very proud of what I've accomplished here."
IN THE CLINIC
AFTER A DAY IN THE OR, George spends a day assisting attending physicians in the Orthopaedic Clinic. Clinic days are generally nonstop from morning until mid-afternoon, with two to four residents seeing 30 to 60 outpatients per half-day. On this day, George's stops along the way include discussing a patient X-ray with fellow senior resident Asheesh Gupta, MD (large photo, above), following up with a patient recovering from a distal radius fracture (left), and checking the range of motion in her wrist as Mark Gonzalez, MD, chairman of the department of orthopaedics, observes.
28 | WINTER 2012