Program: Jefferson NJ
Residents per Class: 5
Hospital: Jefferson NJ Hospitals in Cherry Hill and Washington Township (Home Base), Cooper in Camden, NJ for Trauma and Oncology (Shared with Cooper, Inspira, PCOM residents, only Level I Trauma Center in South Jersey), Dupont/Nemours Childrens Hospital in Wilmington DE for Peds (Shared with Jeff Main/TJUH, Georgetown, Mt. Sinai, and Seton Hall residents, Major peds ortho hospital with leaders in the field) , Virtua Hospital in Mount Holly, NJ (Sports, Spine, Joints, Hand)
Location: Cherry Hill is like 15-20 mins away from Philadelphia, Washington Township like 20-25 mins away from Cherry Hill and Philadelphia, Camden like 10-15 mins away from Philadelphia, Wilmington DE and Mount Holly like 35-40 mins away from Philadelphia
I'd say majority residents live in Philly, many live in South Jersey
Attendings: (Definitely not all, sorry)
Dr. Daniel (PD, F&A - Rothman) - Program grad. Some say he's intense, but I think he's just more formal/serious cause of his military background. My dad is military so I got small snippets of my dad. He is very friendly/down to earth once he gets to know you, and a lot more relaxed and kind to his residents than students. Honestly think he just acts that way initially to see how you respond. Extremely busy F&A practice, up to 11 cases per day.
Dr. Harrer (APD, Joints - Rothman) - Probably my favorite attending by far from the group that I've worked with. Super friendly, gets to know you really well. Just had a blast being with him and probably the biggest selling point of the program. He is very high volume joints guy at Rothman. He could have 8-10 total joints scheduled with 2 rooms. He makes sure you are learning and actually wants the residents/students get handsy in the OR. Didn't even understand joints until I worked in the OR with him in just one day, putting it into perspective and really explaining every step fully.
Dr. Austin (S&E - Rothman) - I did not work with, but I was jealous of the people that did. Extremely well-respected S&E surgeon in the Philly/Jersey area. Lets even junior residents start tackling TSA's and distal humerus trauma from what other students have seen
Dr. Greg Deirmengian (Joints - Rothman) - I did not work with, but this is the attending that basically teaches junior residents joints and how to independently operate when they work with him. The second year working with him said he's super strict, is a perfectionist, and gives very graduated autonomy once you know how to prove yourself. Brother is a PCOM attending, but I think Greg is the more reputable/productive in research one
Dr. Kepler (Spine - Rothman) - High volume spine attending at Rothman. Super duper nice. He did a lecture and I got to talk to him a bit. Apparently is the reason so many go into spine, but I think they tend to have students avoid spine cases.
Dr. Matzon (Hand - Rothman) - Don't know much about him other than he's a decently young attending, trained a Curtis hand (a big deal), and productive in research
Dr. Rivlin (Hand - Rothman) - Residents absolutely love working with him, and is the reason so many are going into hand. Harvard-trained, and productive in research
Dr. Salvo (Sports - Rothman) - Team doc for the Eagles, works with the Phillies as well. Really cool dude, and is probably their most reputable sports surgeon outside of Dr. McMillan. He is a fantastic teacher as well and does a lot of hip scopes which many don't do
Dr. Geiger (Oncology/Limb deformity - Rothman) - Brand new Rothman attending from HSS. They will work with him 2nd and 3rd year
Dr. Woods (Spine - Rothman) - Younger attending, trained at Pitt and Rothman. Students won't work with
Dr. Kirschner (Spine - Kirschner Spine Institute) - Private practice long-time attending. He's a huge deal in the South Jersey area. One of the first in the area to do a variety of modern spine procedures including using artificial discs
Dr. Greenleaf (Spine - Reconstructive Ortho) - Younger private practice spine attending, don't know much about him.
Dr. Murray (Sports - Reconstructive Ortho) - Program Grad. Really really cool dude. Awesome to talk to. Busy sports practice, but he'll also tackle trauma cases and joints if need comfortably
Dr. Mariani (Joints/Trauma - Reconstructive Ortho) - Program Grad. Instrumental in the development of the development of the program. Super awesome dude. Scrubbed in with a PGY-3 and he was pretty much doing entire TKA's/THA's the day I was with him. Loves to talk philly sports and food.
Dr. Mora (Joints - Reconstructive Ortho) - I didn't work with him here, but did at Inspira. Really cool and an amazing teacher. Teaches both residents. Does robotic joints and does like 7-10 a day. Insane.
Dr. Jennings (Hand - Reconstructive Ortho) - Did not work with, but apparently lets residents fly, especially if going into hand
Dr. Paiste (Hand - private practice) - Did not work with, not even sure how often they work with him also, but he was mentioned as an additional hand attending
Dr. Barry Gleimer (General Ortho - Regional Ortho) - I only worked with Dr. Gleimer one day. He is probably the most "general" ortho surgeon I've worked with in a while. Every now in then does joints, hand, sports, and spine cases in one day which is crazy. Not the most student-friendly, but makes sure residents get really handsy, which is often common in older private practice surgeons, which is a good thing
Dr. Kahn (Joints/Sports - Regional Ortho) - He is joints-trained but definitely someone that can tackle everything. He covers trauma cases when on call, and also may do a decent amount of sports. Is a PCOM grad.
Dr. Jeff Gleimer (Spine - Regional Ortho) - Program Grad. Very different from his father who owns the practice. He loves teaching residents and has a busy spine practice. Heard nothing but great things about this attending.
+ Cooper Trauma/Oncology Attendings - Everyone raves about their rotations there, and feels like the attendings there truly care about their well-being and growth as surgeons. No favoritism/DO bias despite being with multiple programs including their own. You also work with spine/joints/sports/hand attendings since they all take call and Cooper is a very small residency that will need coverage. You have the option to do trauma twice as a 3rd and 4th year if you want, but most only do it once since the majority want to get more subspecialty of choice training. You do oncology as a 3rd or 4th year.
+ Dupont/Nemours Pediatric Attendings - Seems like they all love the peds experience. Most just commute 30-40 minutes to Wilmington, but housing is provided if they want. You share with multiple other programs while there including the main Jefferson Philly program. Dupont is a big deal in the peds ortho world as well, and you work with some big names in peds, which may work in your favor if interested fellowship-wise.
Residents: The best way I'd describe this group is the most "genuinely nice" group of residents that I've ever met. Obviously you have your typical bros that love to have a great time and into Philly/NY sports, but you also have your less extroverted ones that like to travel, go to breweries, explore the food scene, outdoorsy-type things, so a good mix of people that seem to really get along. It's a very tight-knit residency from top down, and it seems like all the classes are very close with one another which was very evident. This was the only rotation I was in that the chiefs went out their way to orient you before you start your audition, and have a phone call before to provide the most help possible. They are VERY enthusiastic about teaching, and make it clear that even if you have the most boring day ever with only 3-4 cases, they will make sure you learn as much as you can about those cases and other topics. This rotation I got asked the most questions because they want to teach and let you gain the most out of every experience. However, they do it in a very non-malignant and "nice way" which is the best way to put it. Questions are often higher-level, to give an intro into a prevalent teaching point, and they'll keep asking questions until you get some wrong, mainly to have you learn as much as you can out of that lesson. All really seem to love their program (pretty much everyone ranks it #1), so they will sell their program all month, but are also honest on what they are trying to change. They are all extremely hard-working and knowledgeable, but seem to prioritize a good balance in life. Many are single, married, have kids, so definitely a family-friendly atmosphere.
Didactics/Education: This is definitely the type of program that if you want accountability for gaining as significant amount of ortho knowledge in your limited free time on a regular basis, this is it. They have didactics 2x a week, Monday usually from 5-7/8 ish (often finishes early), and Friday from 5:45-8:30. Extremely structured, with lectures, review sessions (especially around OITE season), grand rounds, journal club, M&M, or fracture conference sessions. Residents usually run M&M, journal club, review sessions, and certain lectures, and they have several attending lecturers present (Mainly from Rothman, and many from other reputable institutions like MGH/Yale/Penn etc.). Chiefs run the didactics schedule. Fridays usually they have students do their monthly end-rotation presentation and do student fracture conference (round-table style). They do fracture conference and review sections similar to other programs, with the junior residents taking precedence in being questioned, but they heavily get students more involved, which I think could either work in your favor or not. I personally liked being put on the spot multiple times, because I slowly gained confidence in being "loud and wrong" lol. None of us were alone in our constant humiliation, but I personally learned way more about orthopedics in their didactics because we are so involved. As stated before, they are extremely nice about it, and know we are just medical students that don't know anything, they reiterated that several times. I will say, the first two weeks Monday didactics certainly hit me hard, especially coming from Jefferson WT to Jefferson CH, but as I got used to it it really wasn't that bad. I think however, I would prefer didactics more spread out, just so that I feel like I'm constantly learning something, but I can understand why they have it more spread out to focus more on clinical duties. Highest quality didactics sessions I've seen on the trail and extremely well organized.
Operative Experience: A pertinent thing to mention is that I think it err's on the side of a traditionally osteopathic program that prioritizes early operative experience and getting as many reps as possible on bread and butter cases as possible, but it also is a program reminiscent of traditionally MD/academic programs that prioritize getting reps on complex cases, with a focus on sufficient and robust subspecialty experience. They average around 2200 cases, which is more than most academic/MD places, but can be less than some blue collar/osteopathic places. I think it was a happy medium which is why it's often designated as an "academic DO program". You regularly work with world class surgeons with Rothman and reputable private practice orthopods that love teaching and have years of experience doing so. Unlike a good bit of programs I rotated at, interns were in the OR regularly throughout the week. In fact, one I know was definitely covering cases every day, and are usually the only resident scrubbed and thus heavily involved. I felt it kind of strange, but I guess with a bigger class they were able to have a floor intern and an OR intern often. They also get in the OR when on weekend call. The PGY-2's were very impressive in the OR, taking most total joints from skin to skin, tackling IT's/fem necks, and doing distal radius/both bone fx's all on their own. I did not work with PGY-3's that often, but on the F&A service, the third year was doing the approach and being guided through ankle replacements/ankle fractures. All the chiefs were running entire rooms themselves and felt very comfortable tackling cases, even more niche sports/hand/joints cases. Seems like all the chiefs were mainly doing cases in their desired subspecialty for fellowship however. I think they do a good job of splitting residents and making sure if they are double scrubbed, the junior takes priority in the case to be taught. Op experience for peds at Dupont is also something they rave about and is high volume/high complexity, because it's the only peds hospital in the area. I didn't get to talk to the residents over at Cooper to gain their perspective, but Cooper is a crazy place for trauma, high volume, and they get a ton of op experience when they work there. They also spoke highly about the oncology experience, which is actually a very busy practice and they see a lot of cool and rare stuff. The attendings at Cooper were all touted as amazing teachers, which adds to the positives of working with a diverse group of people.
Clinic Experience: Clinic was clinic, but I was glad to get an idea of what it was like. You only go into clinic with the program directors Dr. Daniel and Dr. Harrer. With Dr. Harrer, it's joints clinic, so you will get the chance to help with joint injections, physical exams, and eventually see patients on your own. Mainly it's just hanging out with him and the resident at clinic that day, super chill. Dr. Daniel's clinic is a bit more formal and mainly just shadowing. He will let you know exactly what he wants from you and encourages questions and interaction with the patients. Make sure you just don't get in his way and stay interested. Lots of students mess up by being on their phones or laptops, and just acting like they don't want to be there. This is a chance to really show who you are to him. Residents maybe only do clinic once a week if they are with Daniel or Harrer, not really sure if they do clinic with other attendings though. I'd rather have more days than the OR than in clinic, and it seems like they at least get some experience to know what it's like running a practice, but it only happens rarely vs. consistently throughout residency.
Rotations: Mentorship model, so the month(s) they are working with an attending the entire 2 months. I actually prefer this cause it's similar to most MD programs in where you work multiple months on a subspecialty "service" instead of having to worry about potentially losing out on certain experience. They make sure they get as much experience in all the subspecialties the first three years, because it's a fellowship-driven training program, and so the residents get exposed early. The residents seem to like this setup as well. Dr. Daniel caters their experience based on their interests, so you can do 6 months vs. 3 months of trauma at Cooper if wanting more trauma, or have an extra spine rotation per year if interested in spine, or working with Dr. Salvo and Dr. Mcmillan earlier and more often if interested in sports, or working with Dr. Matzon or Dr. Rivlin more if interested in hand etc. For interns though, seems like you work with whoever needs coverage and is available, which seems to be the Regional team at the earliest, so the structured rotation schedule is definitely more for PGY-2 and up. They at least try to get the interns' faces recognizable to most of the attendings on faculty before working with them, in addition to getting them acclimated to the way they run, so they aren't just thrown to the wolves. As with most programs, seems like it's definitely a graduated autonomy when it comes to gaining confidence in the OR. Unlike some programs that are private-practice heavy with attendings that rarely work with residents, most attendings come from an academic background where teaching is emphasized, or have years of experience teaching residents. I was concerned of that cause I've seen on some rotations with attendings that rarely work with residents/don't really get to know them sparingly get residents involved, but seems like they only work with attendings that are willing to teach, not just have an extra hand in cases.
Research: Research is probably one of the most important aspects of this program. The program is run by Rothman Institute attendings that make sure residents are getting at least 10-15 publications by the end of residency, and thus from day one, residents are paired with a "research mentor" at Rothman and are working on projects. I'm pretty sure by intern year, you have to have at least one paper done as well. This is a stand-out of the program, because they are very connected to the Rothman research network, have their own research fellow to get IRB's done/do literature reviews/pull data (a lot less leg-work than most programs), and build close relationships with the attendings they consistently work on projects with. This is definitely a reason why residents at this program often get their top fellowship choices/several top interviews, because most DO programs (and many MD) have to go out of their way to even get a few projects done in residency, nevertheless have strong relationships with the attendings they do research with. Rothman is one of the biggest names in ortho research because they also work with other big names at other institutions, and this helped a few of their residents develop even further connections at other big name institutions. Several residents including juniors attend and present at the AAOS conference every year, offering the opportunity for them to make even further connections while in attendance. That being said though, I'd argue even if you "hate research", I think this actually is a program for you, because you have significant help to get things going and completed, making it a less painful experience. Many residents that didn't do any research in medical school are well published by the time they apply to fellowship, so I wouldn't worry too much if you have concerns about lack of experience. Levels of involvement are varied, several just want to work on the bare minimum to get the best fellowship they want so they just do that, whereas others genuinely enjoy research and are heavily involved. You won't be shamed if you don't like research here since some actually don't, but it definitely will serve you well if you take advantage of the resources. For sure more productive/have better fellowship connections than several MD programs as well that make this program very popular.
Lifestyle: Lifestyle at least from my perspective is the best I've seen from most DO programs. Definitely not working 90+ hours a week like Jersey City, Youngstown, or York, but not working like only 40-50 like an attending. Nobody really complained about their call schedule like other programs I rotated with. They obviously work very hard, cause at the end of the day it is a surgical residency, but they definitely aren't "crushed" except maybe on trauma. Days working with Dr. Daniel and Dr. Harrer were extremely busy (Daniel goes like 12+ hours), but didn't seem like nothing the residents couldn't handle. They do a lot of outings as a group, and seem like they are happy for the most part, which I think has to do with the lifestyle they have contributing to their happiness. Residents definitely seem like they have a life, and being in close proximity to major big cities in the NE they are able to travel and have a good time on the weekends. Looks like they make an effort for most residents to have holidays off which is nice as well. Very family friendly residency.
Pros:
*Operative experience - They work closely with the highest quality surgeons in the area. Rothman itself is highly respected, and gives residents an operative experience that is probably even better than some of the MD programs in NJ/PA, but working with some of the top private practice surgeons in the area provides a very well-rounded experience as well, and gives more case reps in the other subspecialty areas. I think them working with Cooper and Dupont heavily contributes to the operative experience, being the largest volume trauma and pediatric centers in their area. They come out very well trained as general orthopedists like most other DO programs, but also have the added benefit of focused subspecialty rotations with some of the best in their respective fields which gives their residents an edge going into fellowship prepared.
*Lifestyle - Don't know how to describe it, but they look decently well rested and smile regularly, and seem to be human outside of a very busy work schedule. Obviously being a resident anywhere you go is hard, but this is a fantastic program for residents that at least want to hang with their significant others and families every once in a while and get 6-7 hours of sleep. Work-life balance is heavily emphasized here, similar to the Jefferson main program in center city philly, but they also grind and clearly work very hard and have goals to be great residents as well. Seemed like a lot of their residents have succeeded in finding a balance to being an excellent resident in training with a life outside of medicine, and their faculty emphasizes their well-being.
*Culture - Fantastic culture. Truly seems like they are all a family. It's hard to see that as a student rotating, but paying close attention I was able to see that they are a no-drama, close-knit, fun group. Even with the varying personalities, you could tell they at least enjoy each other's company. Most importantly, paying attention to the senior residents and the juniors' interactions, even if they made mistakes, they always responded in a positive, helpful manner. Everyone helped those junior to them in the best way possible. Obviously hierarchy exists as with any residency program, but they clearly try to help each other out with absolutely zero negativity. In fact, I saw some of them go out of their way to teach and help their interns and 2's when they could be handling their other many responsibilities which speaks a lot about the character of the program. They do quite a bit of resident outings regularly, and the PD's love hosting events for resident wellness. PD's are very responsive to feedback and regularly meet with residents as well, and the mentors the residents work with they develop close relationships as well.
*Research - Very much so a pro if you are someone like me that hates research but wants to get things done in the easiest way possible just to say you did some during residency to look good for fellowship. But also a pro if you are someone that loves research and wants to get a lot of things done because the Rothman research infrastructure will allow you to pump a ton of stuff out to your benefit. I see it as a con if you genuinely just hate research and don't want to be forced to do it at all, but at the end of the day any research could help you in the long-run.
*Career prospects - They develop really strong connections to Rothman attendings, who undoubtedly have connections to some of the top fellowships and practice groups in the country. Cooper and Dupont also make an effort to support their residents as well. The Jefferson and Rothman name holds a ton of weight in the world of ortho, a lot more than people think. Even as a DO program, they are able to get interviews that many MD candidates won't be able to get just because of the level of connections they have. Dr. Daniel's goal is to match everyone in their fellowship of choice, and most of them do get their top choices. They are often the only DO's at some of the most top tier fellowship interviews in the country. That being said, if you want to stay in NJ/PA, the private practice/Virtua groups they work with also have very strong ties to the area, and help with finding jobs out of fellowship. They have multiple grads that choose to work/will work for Rothman and in the area. Most elect to to go into private practice as most in ortho do, but the program will well-equip you for a career in academics with the right connections to make it happen.
Cons:
*South Jersey - Honestly the biggest turn-off for me was the South Jersey area. Washington Township, Glassboro, Voorhees, Camden, and Stratford sucks but are cheap. Obviously if you make a lot of money, you could live in nice suburbs like Moorestown, Haddonfield, Collingswood, Mount Laurel, Cherry Hill etc. to raise a family in a safe area with great schools, but with a resident salary, you're pretty much limited to very old, run-down or rural areas with not the best housing options. South Jersey is also very expensive in general. A lot of residents live in Philly which is great, but you have to consider paying for a $10 toll every day, living in a city paying hundreds for parking because you will need a car, paying a high rent fee, and commuting at least 40 minutes per day (and if you're at Washington Township on Mondays or Fridays, commuting to Cherry Hill and back for didactics is a lot to deal with). Somehow some of the residents have made it work, even the single ones with a single salary, cause QOL is important to them cause the affordable areas suck lol.
*Case volume - This is mixed. Some residents feel like they wish they had higher scope volume, but most residents believe they have enough scope experience. Obviously they get a great case variety with Dr. Salvo, Murray, and Mcmillan, but I think compared to their joints, spine, peds, hand, F&A volume it is definitely comparatively lacking. Seems like everyone thinks they get enough, just some want more.They are apparently hiring a new Rothman sports attending, so maybe this will help mitigate some of the discrepancy.
*Trauma experience - Also mixed. You can basically have up to 3-9 months of a true "trauma" rotation at Cooper. 3 months required, 3 months as optional, and 3 months as elective in 5th year if you want it (usually if going into trauma). A lot of their residents view this as a pro because they can basically tailor their experience towards getting more subspecialty rotations and facetime with certain attendings. It also contributes to better lifestyle, as they are pretty much crushed at Cooper for 3 months straight. A lot of DO programs tend to not have a dedicated trauma rotation at a level 1 center either, so I view it somewhat as a pro. However, many MD programs have at least 2 months of dedicated trauma at a level 1 all 5 years of residency, some of which may be seen as overkill, but definitely could be helpful in the long run. The Jefferson hospitals have pretty decent trauma case volume however, but obviously the more complex and serious trauma gets shipped to Cooper being a level 1 center. The benefit is that the residents do feel comfortable taking general call upon graduation however, because they do get significant adult/peds trauma experience at Cooper and Dupont, but don't expect to get the trauma experience like programs at a major academic center in an inner city or something.
*Didactic schedule - Already discussed above, but I think having only two didactic sessions at the beginning and end of the week is not enough at least for someone like me that needs a more structured study schedule that is as often as need. But I can see how people like just having it over with. Their didactics was the strongest I saw on the trail. Also, your Monday evenings are pretty much gone if you're not on trauma, oncology, peds, or an off-service intern. This means getting home like 8-9 pm most Mondays. I happen to be awake for all of these didactic sessions (because of anxiety being pimped, but also a mid-day caffeinated drink was the norm), but Tuesdays were always hard to recover. The residents definitely seemed used to it though.
Student-Specific Experience: This was truly an excellent rotation. From the beginning till end, they make sure that students are getting the most out of their rotation experiences. You will get a very detailed schedule each week, with all of the cases listed you will participate in and attendings/residents you will work with and their location (minus any add-on trauma cases). I though this was the most organized rotation I had by far. You will also get their didactic schedules a week earlier if you want to prepare. A week or two before the rotation you will have a phone call with one of the chiefs basically detailing the rotation and answering any questions you have about the program which I thought was nice. They will also provide a student orientation packet with all of topics/information you will likely review and study with residents and information about the program. Not like most programs where they just throw you into a random OR without knowing what to expect for the day which was nice. They limit their students to 5-8 students only. They spread everyone out and make sure everyone has a week with Dr. Daniel and a week with Dr. Harrer. They also try to make sure you have interaction with as many senior residents as possible. Most days signout was at 6 or 6:30, with cases going as late as 8 pm, but mostly ~5 pm most days. They do this thing after cases are done where residents "clear the ED" for the on-call resident, so they don't have to take any existing consults on their own that are already in the ED. I thought this was weird cause every resident goes together with us students joining in, but I can see why they thought it was a nice thing to do for their co-residents. Most cases we are with only one resident and are there to be as helpful as we can. Before each case, any resident I was with reviewed the pertinent anatomy, patient history, and general principles of the case unprompted which I thought was extremely helpful and I didn't experience on most of my other rotations. I'm pretty sure their philosophy is to ask questions to students about the case not just to see what they know, but so they can be prepared and feel like they are a part of case instead of just a retractor holder standing there which was nice. Working with Dr. Harrer, you will get very handsy and will be very involved. He even let me use a drill and ronjeur and remove and place implants. I also sutured after all of his cases. With Dr. Daniel, you basically need to understand that he is fast paced, and you need to control the ankle bump at his pace and grab utensils and do the tasks he asks you to do at a fast pace. He will ask you basic anatomy questions and personal questions about you and your goals in ortho, so just be prepared for those questions. Clinic is as described above, only go in one day with Dr. Daniel and Harrer and is very laid back and chill, go so rarely to just get the gist. For didactics, it's a little scary being put on the spot as a student for things you probably don't know or won't ever be asked about on other auditions, but they genuinely just want to make sure students pay attention and actually get something out of their didactics that's all. They are very "pimp heavy", but they do it in the nicest, non-malignant way possible, which made it actually enjoyable to learn from them. The fracture conferences well prepared me for the rest of my auditions and intern year. This is an excellent rotation to do early because you will learn a ton of bread and butter ortho at the beginning of the year as they are preparing for OITE. Weekend call is a huge plus and looks good, so definitely fit in a shift or two. If you can round with Dr. Daniel, that also will work in your favor. He rounds at like 4 am though, so it'll be a very long day, but it does make students stand out if you round with him, and he likes students showing that initiative. I highly recommend this rotation not just because it's a great program, but it was my favorite rotation experience on the trail by far. I know there are residents that rotated as early as July and August and as late as December and January that are matched incoming interns so don't think timing matters. They clearly look for hard-working, teachable, overall great people to end up there. I don't think to interview here you have to necessarily have the strongest connections or be the smartest person on the audition cause I certainly didn't and neither did the incoming intern I rotated with, just read the room and show initiative and interest. Obviously wish I matched here and jealous of those that did (pretty sure they always match who they want), but I still think very highly of the program and the people within it.
