I think you are right to make a plan, and to take the initiative yourself. Residency is long, but it is easy to end up finishing with a lot of knowledge and skills that aren't organized for future use. If you are someone who needs to have information printed out, that is fine. Others might do it online. But I saw some people succeed by splitting up notes like you, but then putting each rotation-specific notes into separate binders so they are portable and not large.
Two points:
1. Totally agree - no review material is for building foundational knowledge. The problem with intern year is that the OITE is in November, so if you are pushing towards that first, it is hard to focus on building a foundation straight from the start. But either before or after the OITE, I really recommend reading textbooks. You can't read them all, certainly not intern year, but see what your program tends to favor for trauma. Skeletal Trauma is readable, and though you might not read all 150 pages on tibial plateau fractures, even just reading the first parts of each chapter is worthwhile and will prepare you for call as on R2 (for hand, spine, and extremity/pelvic trauma). Then, I think reading some smallish textbook for each rotation in later years makes sense, especially if you can plan ahead and start reading a bit before the rotation starts. I'm sure your attendings would be more than happy to give recommendations on this.
2. You won't have time to keep rereading the same stuff, so you really have to take notes and keep them organized. That's were I like something like Evernote or OneNote... be the information from a textbook or journal club article or just an article an attending frequently mentions, all that info on one topic is together and easily reviewed. 10 years from now, that is what you want to and have time to look back at. But if you do this in binders that works too, though I think it is probably a bit less efficient.
Of course you have to study for the OITE and more importantly the Boards, but really you are trying to learn orthopaedics for yourself and your future career and patients. Everyday you'll be learning tips, tricks, and gems as well as reading. If you manage to keep it organized and remember some of it but be able to reference more of it, you'll be in good shape.
