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Robert Turcotte, M.D., FRCSC
Chairman, Division of Orthopaedic Surgery, McGill University
Chief, Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, MUHC
Montreal, QC
Michael Tanzer, M.D., FRCSC
Programme Director, Division of Orthopaedic Surgery, McGill University
Montreal, QC
 Orthopaedic surgery at McGill University is organized as such since the 1930s. At that time, there were two independent training programmes. One based at the Royal Victoria Hospital (RVH) that included the Montreal Shriners Hospital. Paediatric orthopaedic trauma was done at RVH, which had a paediatric ward until 1973. The other training programme was based at the Montreal General Hospital (MGH) and the Montreal Childrens Hospital (MCH).
The McGill University Orthopaedic Division was created in 1975 with the integration of all hospitals under the same leadership although training remained hospital based until the early 1980s when the Royal College recommended that training should be university based instead of hospital based.
The first appointed Chair of the University Orthopaedic Division was Dr. Richard L. Cruess (1975-1980). He was followed by Dr. Jo Miller (1980-85), Dr. Carroll A. Laurin (1985-1992) and Dr. Max Aebi (1992-2003).
The McGill University Health Centre (MUHC) resulted from the administrative fusion of four hospitals in 1992: the Montreal Children Hospital (MCH), the Royal Victoria Hospital (RVH), the Montreal General Hospital (MGH) and The Montreal Neurological Hospital (MNH). Currently, these remain on different geographical sites. In 1997, the RVH merged with MGH, which resulted in the complete transfer of all orthopaedic clinical activities to the MGH in 2002.
Recently, a new partnership has been developed with the LaSalle Hospital where orthopaedic ambulatory surgeries are performed by McGill surgeons and residents three to four times a week.
Residency Training Programme
The McGill Orthopaedic Residency Programme is a five-year programme, consisting of one year of core surgical training and four years of orthopaedic training. The orthopaedic training is done at five McGill teaching hospitals - The McGill University Health Centre (MGH site and MCH site), the Shriners Hospital of Canada, the Jewish General Hospital and St. Marys Hospital. Our residents are an international group of individuals from Canada, the US and the Middle East. Our 25 residents rotate through subspecialty based services which include: trauma, spine, sports medicine, arthroplasty, tumour, foot and ankle, and paediatrics. Our large patient population, tertiary care referrals and subspecialty oriented surgical groups provides a wide and varying surgical experience for our residents.
Programme year
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Content and sequence of rotations Number of months (or four weeks block)
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1
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2
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3
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4
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5
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6
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7
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8
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9
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10
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11
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12
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13
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Core Surgery
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Gen Surg
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Rheum
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Trauma
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Plastics
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SICU
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NS
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Vasc
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Bone Rad
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Paediatric Ortho
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Adult Orthopaedics including subspecialties
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Third
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Adult Orthopaedics including subspecialties
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Paediatric Ortho
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Fourth
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Adult Orthopaedics including subspecialties
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Elective
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Paediatric Ortho
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Fifth
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Adult Orthopaedics including subspecialties
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Paediatric Ortho |
Fellowships
Fellowship positions are available through the McGill Orthopaedic Division in the areas of spine, paediatric, trauma, sports, oncology and arthroplasty. The total number of fellows does not usually exceed three. As a rule, the training of residents takes precedence over that of fellows. Fellows are involved in the most complex surgical procedures and have organizational, research and teaching obligations toward their subspecialty field and residents. The programmes Educational Committee supervises the role and actions of the fellows and ensures that educational needs are met for all our trainees.
Staff
Currently the McGill Orthopaedic Division is comprised of 26 staff surgeons, one of whom holds a PhD degree. In addition, five full-time PhD researchers are members of our division.
Research
Research is conducted in five research laboratories (MGH, RVH, JGH, MCH and Shriners). Current areas of basic research include bone mineral metabolism, osteogenesis imperfecta, anatomy, wear debris particles, metal on metal arthroplasties, bone ingrowth with different materials and geometry, osteoporosis and distraction osteogenesis. Clinical research is also well developed at McGill with eight clinical research assistants currently helping in local, national and international trials. Each resident has to participate in a research project on a yearly basis. This is done under the supervision of the Research Committee of the programme. Residents who are particularly interested in research can obtain their Masters or PhD through the McGill Surgical Scientists Programme.
Future
A huge reorganization of university health care is currently underway in Quebec. Health care authorities do realize that major teaching centres have to expand on the delivery of tertiary and quaternary care and research. As a result, new state of the art facilities are to be built to relocate the MUHC on a unique site that will include MCH, RVH, MNH and the Shriners Hospital. The mission of this new campus will include paediatric care as well as the trauma centre, the research centre and most of the tertiary and quaternary care of adult patients. Inpatient orthopaedic activities will be relocated to this new site. The MGH site will remain open and fulfill a complementary mission including ambulatory care. Although not completed, the current agenda calls for this to be realized by 2010. Another related government plan calls for the province to be geographically divided in four areas with each under the umbrella of a medical school acting as a partner in the planning and delivery of health care services to the population (University Integrated Health Network).
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