Upon graduation from medical school, a physician must complete a five to six year residency to become an orthopedic surgeon. After finishing residency, some orthopedic surgeons choose to apply for focused training in a fellowship program. The fellowship is in a sub-specialty area of orthopedics, such as sports medicine, spine surgery, foot and ankle surgery, shoulder surgery or hand surgery. The fellowship exposes the physician to a high volume of complex surgical cases in that particular sub-specialty area of orthopedics. Fellowships usually last one to two years.
The other way to become proficient in a specific area of orthopedics is by taking courses for continuing education and developing an expertise in a specific facet of orthopedics independently. Like most fellowship trained surgeons, these doctors choose to focus their practice in that sub-specialty area.
At Lancaster Orthopedic Group, our mission is to provide a technically and personally superior experience. In order to achieve this objective, all sixteen physicians have developed a highly refined area of expertise to facilitate better patient care and state-of- the-art orthopedics. This subspecialized focus allows each surgeon to be more knowledgeable in the diagnosis, repair, and physical rehabilitation of related problems. It also makes Lancaster Orthopedic Group a “one- stop shop.” Our physicians have the advantage of being able to cross-refer within the practice to the most appropriate sub-specialist to treat a patient’s underlying issue. Thus, the patients receive better care because they are treated by a physician who has developed greater experience in their particular diagnosis.
