Throughout the region, Olympia Orthopaedic Associates (OOA) is known for providing the highest level of care to their patients. In addition to providing a full spectrum of patient care in their first class facilities, the physicians at OOA are committed to the advancement of their respective fields. This desire to serve their community and contribute to the education of future surgeons has led to the creation of the Foot and Ankle Residency Training at Olympia Orthopaedic Associates.
As site director, Dr. Tim DuMontier welcomes residents from Madigan Army Medical Center to gain experience and education in specialized foot and ankle surgical care. A resident is a medical doctor who is training in a specific medical specialty. They have graduated from a four-year medical school and passed a certification exam. The orthopaedic residents are doctors training to become orthopaedic surgeons that provide specialized care for bone, joint and muscle issues. Olympia Orthopaedic Associates is pleased to be an integral part in this rigorous process requiring at least five years of comprehensive training.
“Orthopaedic residents today are the future of orthopaedics,” shares DuMontier. “As facilitators of knowledge and skill building, our ankle team and our patients alike are able to contribute to the education of these future surgeons.” DuMontier is honored to support our neighbors in the military. Doing a community based rotation gives the residents a broader exposure to different types of issues than they would normally see in their daily training. Residents are able to observe patients of varying ages and participate in surgeries, such as correcting flat feet and foot fusion surgery, along with complex trauma and arthritic deformities.
Photo credit: OOA
Residents work alongside with the physicians and are always supervised to ensure that patients are receiving the level of care they expect from OOA. DuMontier enjoys the added dynamic of teaching residents. “It is rewarding and stimulating to be able to share the extensive knowledge that we have received after years of training,” he shares. “I enjoy that challenge of making sure that I am current with the latest data, the residents in training keep me on my toes.” The residents in the Foot and Ankle Residency Program are fourth year residents nearing the end of their training. While their skills and training may vary, they all have significant medical training. Residents will be in clinic two days a week and may observe or assist in surgery two or three days a week during their clinical rotation.
For patients it means that a resident may take their medical history and discuss the reason for the visit. The resident will present that information to the physician who will then review with the patient. Some may say that having a resident present at their appointment is the equivalent of getting two expert opinions in one visit! Of course, patients are able to opt out of having a resident participate in their care if they so desire. Most patients enjoy the residents and are pleased to be able to participate in their training.
This month, Dr. T.J. Melton is participating in the OOA Foot and Ankle Residency. Dr. Melton and his family moved to Washington from Greenville, South Carolina with their Boykin Spaniel puppy (the state dog of South Carolina).
“The majority of our time at Madigan Army Medical Center is spent providing orthopaedic care to active duty service members, their families, retirees and local civilian trauma,” shares Melton. “Participating in a community practice supplements our training experience and we appreciate the opportunity to learn from such skilled surgeons.” Melton is a fourth year surgery resident at Madigan and is looking forward to the training he will glean from Drs. DuMontier, Lamour and Will at Olympia Orthopaedic Associates.
The surgeons at Olympia Orthopaedic Associates have always prided themselves on their commitment to the well being of their community. Participating in the training of future physicians is one more way for OOA to give back and share their knowledge with these doctors in training. “The fact that these are military physicians make our involvement even more important,” share DuMontier. “We want to support our military and help them to obtain the most well-rounded training as possible.”
Olympia Orthopaedic Associates sees over 100,000 patients and performs more than 10,000 surgeries a year making it the largest orthopaedic group in southwest Washington. They are dedicated to providing their patients with convenience and the highest quality orthopaedic services to get you back to the life you deserve, a life in motion.
Olympia Orthopaedic Associates
3901 Capital Mall Drive SW
Olympia, WA 98502
360-709-6230
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