Fellowship

Fellowship Description:

The Idaho Shoulder Education and Research Foundation (ISERF) is a not-for-profit entity dedicated to serving as a resource for surgeons and patients who wish to further their knowledge regarding problems affecting the shoulder. The Foundation’s mission is to promote education regarding shoulder disorders and treatments, train surgeons to diagnose and appropriately manage difficult shoulder conditions, and contribute to musculoskeletal research. The ISERF fellowship is based in the Boise, ID area. Fellows are under the tutelage of Dr. Scott Humphrey, a shoulder subspecialist and member of the American Shoulder and Elbow Surgeons.

This one-year fellowship program provides hands-on learning and mentorship. In a typical year the fellow will participate in about 350 shoulder cases (~100 of which are arthroplasty cases), either as surgeon or first assistant. The fellow will gain exposure to the full range of shoulder pathologies and treatment options, including non-operative management, primary and revision standard and reverse arthroplasty surgery, and arthroscopic as well as open soft-tissue procedures. Opportunities may be available to shadow other fellowship-trained surgeons in order to gain additional exposure to elbow, trauma, and sports medicine surgery.

The fellow is expected to complete and submit for publication one high-quality research project during the fellowship. Opportunities for both basic science and clinical research are available.

The fellow will be credentialed as an attending surgeon, and after a period of supervision may earn the privilege of performing surgery as an independent practitioner at one local hospital.

The fellow will participate in patient care through outpatient clinics, surgery, and inpatient management. The fellow will improve his/her understanding through presentation preparation, research, didactic interaction, and conferences.

By the end of the fellowship year, the fellow should have a strong foundation regarding:

• Shoulder anatomy and biomechanics
• Pathological conditions of the shoulder and upper extremity
• The importance of taking a thorough medical history
• Performance of a proper physical exam
• Interpreting imaging and other diagnostic tests
• Creation of an appropriate differential diagnosis
• Understanding both nonoperative as well as surgical treatment options
• Arthroscopic and open surgical techniques
• Management of surgical complications
• Anatomical variations that do not necessarily represent true pathology
• The importance of interpersonal skills for patient care
• The process of medical research