Virginia Commonwealth University Health System Program

Program Identity & Fit

VCU's Orthopaedic Surgery residency is a university-based, academic program anchored at VCU Medical Center (a Level I trauma center) with additional exposure at the Central Virginia VA Health Care System and dedicated sports medicine/subspecialty clinics, giving residents a mix of high-acuity trauma, reconstruction, and general orthopaedic volume across five to eight Richmond-area sites. The five-year curriculum is structured with paired PGY levels on most rotations, a dedicated PGY-4 sole-resident experience on Spine and Foot & Ankle, frequent cadaveric/sawbone labs, and a full academic conference schedule (fracture, basic science, indications, grand rounds), reflecting an emphasis on structured, faculty-supervised progression toward independent practice. Research is institutionally supported and required rather than incidental: every resident must complete at least two publishable projects, supported by the Musculoskeletal Infection, Inflammation, and Injury Laboratory (NIH- and DoD-funded work in infection, inflammation, and nerve repair) and three in-house fellowships (Hand, Adult Reconstruction, Trauma), indicating a program that values residents capable of sustained clinical-translational work alongside operative training. Graduate outcomes show fellowship training across nearly all subspecialties (hand, sports, oncology, adult reconstruction) with some alumni returning to VCU as faculty, underscoring an academic subspecialization trajectory rather than a general-practice orientation.