Orthopedic Surgery Residency Columbia - Chief Residents' Welcome

First and foremost, we would like to thank you for taking an interest in our program.

We would like to take a moment to detail the unique aspects of the Prisma Health/University of South Carolina School of Medicine Columbia Orthopedic Surgery Residency Program that make it an outstanding choice.

The early operative experience offered at our program is unparalleled. Starting on day one, residents have a tremendous opportunity to become involved in a variety of operative procedures both independently and as a first assist. Our model represents our firm belief that distributing the workload evenly creates a surgical experience for our residents that represents their eventual practice.

The program has a growing focus on research under the leadership of Dr. Benjamin Jackson as research director. The orthopedic department employs two research managers that assist with grant writing, IRBs, as well as project maintenance and submission. Each resident will participate as the primary investigator on a mentored project with the goal of a publication or presentation at a regional or national meeting. Our current residents have done presentations at AAOS, AOA, Southern Orthopaedic Association, South Carolina Orthopeadic Association, South Carolina Medical Association, Eastern Orthopaedic Association, OREF/ORS Resident Research Symposia, Kimbrough Moore Resident Research Day, AOFAS, American College of Sports Medicine, Orthopaedic Trauma Association, Pediatric Research in Sports Medicine, and the Prisma Health Resident Research Day.

The curriculum and didactic schedule offer a wide range of experiences and learning to allow comprehensive education in both general and subspecialty training. The program revolves around a two-year rotation cycle in which residents work with all subspecialties in years 2 and 3 and again in years 4 and 5. This allows residents to familiarize themselves with each subspecialty before considering a fellowship path. Spending time with attending physicians in both academic and private models provides excellent exposure to various practice types. It also provides for an opportunity to learn from physicians with training backgrounds from every region of the United States. All didactic subspecialty lectures are attending-led. Didactics occur each morning with the ability to be at all cases each day.

Lastly, we—the residents—are our program’s greatest strength. We are a growing program and have expanded our number of residents per class twice in the last three years, now taking four new interns each year. We are proud to have the volume and leadership to have accomplished this goal. As we grow, it remains imperative that we continue to function well as a team. We truly enjoy spending time with each other outside of our clinical duties. Whether it is having a family style dinner, exploring the city together, or relaxing on Lake Murray, we are a tight-knit group. Each year we also get the opportunity to participate in the South Carolina Orthopaedic Association meeting with our spouses and significant others on Kiawah Island, which helps to build strong bonds between classes. Our goal is to transform you into a fantastic orthopedic surgeon prepared for practice and/or fellowship, while giving you the opportunity to grow as a person and a professional.

We are confident in what our program has to offer and we hope you will seriously consider visiting to see for yourself. If you have any questions along the way, please feel free to contact us. 

We look forward to meeting you during interviews!

Rebecca Senehi, MD
Michael Spitnale, MD
Briana Stirling, MD