Foot and ankle experience in orthopedic residency: an update.

Background: In 2003, a limited survey regarding the number of dedicated foot and ankle faculty and foot and ankle rotations at orthopaedic surgery residency programs was published. The purpose of this paper was to update the results of that previous survey and provide additional, more in-depth information. Materials and Methods: A survey questionnaire was emailed to the program directors and chairpersons of the 150 ACGME-accredited orthopaedic residency training programs in the United States. Results: Responses were obtained from all programs. One hundred thirty-seven (91.3%) programs had one or more orthopaedic surgeon faculty members with a predominantly foot and ankle practice (at least 50%), an increase of 5.5 percentage points from the survey performed 6 years previously. One hundred forty three (95.3%) programs had one or more orthopaedic surgeon faculty members with a practice consisting of at least 25 % foot and ankle. One hundred twenty programs (80%) had one or more dedicated foot and ankle rotations, an increase of 15.1 % from 6 years prior. Orthopaedic surgery residents were felt to spend a mean of 30.4% and a median of 20% of their time with board-certified/ board-eligible orthopaedic surgeons in rotations that include treatment of foot and ankle pathology but were not considered "dedicated" foot and ankle rotations. Conclusions: The number of orthopaedic surgery residency programs with rotations and faculty members dedicated to foot and ankle education has increased over the 6 years between surveys. Orthopaedic surgery residents' experience and skill development in foot and ankle surgery during their 5 years of residency training are not limited to their time spent in dedicated foot and ankle rotations.