Important Documents
Executive Summary
SHUE Curriculum
Possible Rotation Pathways
Post your comments to the Discussion Board
Message to Fellowship Directors
Dear Hand Fellowship Directors,
Over the early part of this year, the ASSH has, under the leadership of President Szabo and the Council, begun an initiative to define the requisites of hand training and of our specialty. The advantages of such an effort are obvious. Given our unique history stemming from the multiple disciplines of Plastic, General and Orthopedic Surgery, such understanding helps to standardize training and maximize the skills and areas of expertise of hand fellow training. In effect it defines what hand surgery as a field of expertise encompasses: who we are and what we do.
Defining the specialty opens up multiple opportunities including the creation of a standalone hand training residency. Avenues of training could include not only our current one year model but an expanded multiyear upper extremity pathway.
As the first step in this ambitious program, a task force headed by Jim Chang, MD and Marty Boyer, MD created two working documents: the SHUE Curriculum (Spectrum of Hand and Upper Extremity) and possible Rotation Pathways. In addition to the SHUE Curriculum and Rotation Pathways, there is an important executive summary; which is a comprehensive review of how this initiative began, of the members who offered their thoughtful input, and how the SHUE Curriculum may help the future of Hand Surgery education.
These are preliminary documents. They are not gospel or written in stone. They are not ACGME law which will require you to change your fellowship experience. They are points of discussion.
They have been approved by the ASSH Council for dissemination to the fellowship directors. The ball is now in our corner and the next step is ours to take.
I would ask each of you to carefully review the documents. The hand society wants our feedback. That feedback will be used to reshape and revise these documents. Over the next several months, please submit your comments using the discussion board. All comments, positive and negative, will have a voice.
I would like to form a Fellowship Director’s Steering Committee, composed of current directors, which will then help to incorporate the ideas of the fellowship directors in a revised document to submit to council. If you are interested in serving as part of that committee, please let me know.
At the ASSH meeting in Boston, the fellowship director’s breakfast has been extended to 2 hours:
Fellowship Directors Breakfast
Date and Time: Thursday, October 7th from 6:30 am–8:30am Room/Location: Room 203, Hynes Convention Center
This will be our chance to hear Drs. Boyer and Szabo address the specifics of the documents and their vision as well as field any questions. Please make every effort to attend the entire event.
Again, thank you for your participation in this project which is so critical to the development and enhancement of our specialty in the future. Like me, I realize that you are feeling the sadness of your current fellows' departure and the excitement of the hand fellow rookies about to start. Just remember, it is in training and teaching the young that we renew ourselves and find purpose.
Best wishes for the remainder of the summer,
A. Lee Osterman, MD
Chair, Fellowship Directors' Steering Committee
American Society for Surgery of the Hand