On this week’s Facebook live, Chief of Staff Emeritus Tony Herring, M.D. joined us to discuss what it means to be a teaching hospital and the history of our institution educating the doctors of the future. Below is the recap of the conversation.

Watch this Facebook live. 

What is a teaching hospital?

  • A hospital that teaches and educates students in medicine – including medical students, residents, fellows, nursing students, psychology fellows. As a teaching hospital, Scottish Rite Hospital provides residents and fellows the opportunity to work closely with the staff when treating the patients.
  • Medical students: most of their time is in the classroom – students observe, practice medicine under supervision of the staff to become a doctor.
    • Residency: After graduating from medical school, the individual goes into residency. The residents of the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center join our team for six months for their pediatric orthopedic rotation.
    • Fellowship: After completing a residency, an individual is now a doctor. A fellowship provides training in a subspecialty, like pediatric orthopedic surgery.
    • The hospital has several fellowships. The Dorothy & Bryant Edwards Fellowship welcomes five new fellows to train at Scottish Rite Hospital for a year. Fellows work alongside and learn from our world-renowned staff in all areas of pediatric orthopedic surgery.
  • The hospital also has programs for all levels of medical training: nursing students, physical therapy students, psychologists, etc.

Historical timeline of Scottish Rite Hospital being a teaching hospital:

  • Residents from UTSW trained at our hospital since the Department of Orthopaedics started at that institution decades ago.
  • In the early 1980s, Scottish Rite Hospital established a pediatric orthopedic fellowship program to allow orthopedic surgeons to receive specialized training. Since its inception, the fellowship program has grown to be one of the finest programs in the country.
  • The first class of fellows had a total of three – today, the Dorothy & Bryant Edwards Fellowship is offered to five individuals each year.

How does being a teaching hospital impact patient care?

  • The staff surgeon is responsible for everything that happens – controls the operations and care of the child.
  • Decision making – children’s orthopedics is complicated and each case requires an individualized treatment plan.
  • Every Monday night, the medical staff and the trainees gather to discuss the surgical cases scheduled for that week. Residents and fellows can collaborate and work with the staff to determine the best possible treatment plan for each child. This not only teaches the trainees, but also allows our doctors to continue their education.

Research as a key component to training:

  • The hospital is privileged to conduct research through UTSW. The goal of the hospital’s research is to find better ways to manage problems and determine the best possible treatments for the various conditions.
  • Our doctors travel the world to present current research and are changing medical practice on a global scale.
  • Residents and fellows choose the area of research they would like to study. The research work from the trainees enhances their education while also bringing better care to our patients.

“We wrote the book on pediatric orthopedics – literally.” 

  • Our doctors are currently working on the next volume of Tachjian’s Pediatric Orthopaedics: From the Texas Scottish Rite Hospital for Children.
  • The book is revised and updated every five years.
  • People around the world refer to it as the ‘go-to’ for pediatric orthopedics.
  • Videos of cases and surgeries are made to along with the textbook for people to reference and learn from throughout their education.
  • One of the very few medical textbooks written from one institution.
  • Each time the book must be revised, it continues our doctors’ education when they are rewriting their respective sections. This ultimately brings the best care back to our patients.

Then and now regarding the hospital’s fellowship program:

  • As it was then and is now, the patients always come first.
  • The impact of our doctors is now worldwide. Staff present research and lead educational sessions both nationally and internationally to share how Scottish Rite Hospital cares for children.
  • We have a responsibility to continue researching and teaching medical professionals to bring the best care to children now and into the future.