Clinical opportunities + expert training in hand surgery at Tufts Medical Center
Fellows in the Tufts Medical Center Combined Hand Surgery Fellowship gain extensive clinical experience across a wide range of hand, wrist and elbow conditions. Fellows spend 6 months at Tufts Medical Center, the tertiary care facility for complex orthopedic and hand surgery cases, and 6 months at New England Baptist Hospital, a 100-bed orthopedic referral hospital. At both institutions, fellows work alongside attending physicians, manage office patients and participate in a high volume of surgical cases, developing treatment plans and following patients through care. The hand service at Tufts Medical Center performs an average of 815 surgeries and sees approximately 6,800 patients each year, including traumatic injuries, post-traumatic reconstruction and soft-tissue coverage.
Diagnose + treat complex hand problems
Fellows manage acute and chronic trauma, congenital anomalies, tumors, arthritis, arthroscopy, joint replacement and select microsurgical cases. They assume primary responsibility for hand clinic patients and work closely with attending physicians, residents, a physician assistant and certified hand therapists in both the operating room and outpatient settings. Weekly hand surgical rounds provide structured learning and case discussions.
Preceptorship + mentorship
The fellowship follows a preceptorship model, providing personalized mentorship and the opportunity to discuss challenging cases throughout the day. Much of the practice is elective, giving fellows limited night or weekend duties and time for study, research projects and clinical project participation.
Workman’s compensation cases
Fellows gain experience with workers’ compensation cases, learning to recommend treatment, evaluate return-to-work capacity and prepare medical-legal reports.
