McLaren Health Care-Flint-MSU Program

Program Identity & Fit

McLaren Flint's Orthopaedic Surgery Residency is a community-based, MSU-affiliated five-year program built around close faculty-resident relationships within a medium-sized complement, using McLaren Flint and the Level I trauma center Hurley Medical Center as anchor sites. The curriculum layers in named away rotations that broaden exposure beyond a single community hospital: a four-month pediatric orthopaedics block at Shriners Hospital for Children in Spokane, a six-week musculoskeletal oncology rotation at University of Michigan, and a dedicated three-month research rotation in partnership with Kettering University's biomechanics and biostatistics facilities. Nearly all graduates pursue subspecialty fellowships (adult reconstruction, hand, sports, trauma, pediatrics) at recognized programs nationally, indicating the program functions as a fellowship-preparatory pipeline rather than a terminal community practice track despite its community hospital base. The program values progressive autonomy, structured daily didactics/skills labs, and a scholarly project pathway built into the second year rather than left optional.