5-Minute Summary: Voices in Orthopaedics™…The Unionized Orthopod: Apprenticeship, Labor, and the Changing Identity of Orthopedic Residency at Jefferson

5-Minute Summary: Voices in Orthopaedics™…The Unionized Orthopod: Apprenticeship, Labor, and the Changing Identity of Orthopedic Residency at Jefferson

Resident physician unionization has accelerated across the United States in recent years, reflecting broader changes in healthcare systems, physician expectations, and the economics of medical training. At Thomas Jefferson University Hospitals, residents recently voted to unionize and are currently in the midst of contract negotiations, placing these national conversations directly into the daily lives of trainees across all specialties here. Within orthopedic surgery, these issues carry unique complexity. Orthopedic residency has historically embraced an apprenticeship model deeply rooted in long hours, graduated autonomy, mentorship, and personal sacrifice. Residents are not merely employees performing labor, but trainees undergoing professional and personal development. The emergence of organized labor within residency programs therefore raises challenging questions. Are orthopedic residents primarily learners or workers? Can surgical training maintain its apprenticeship ethos within increasingly contractual labor structures? Which aspects of residency hardship are educationally meaningful versus unnecessarily burdensome? This editorial explores the evolving intersection of unionization and orthopedic residency culture through the lens of modern orthopedic resident trainees at Rothman Orthopedics at Thomas Jefferson University Hospital.

5-Minute Summary: Disasterplasty 2025: At The Conference…Are Cones Really Necessary in Revision; Cost is Prohibitive?

A few months ago, Dr. Buch called me and asked “Hey Chris, you know cones are expensive. Should we really be using them?” And I thought “that’s a pretty easy question.” We’re using cones all the time! We want to optimize fixation, but did it get me thinking, when should we be using cones in metaphyseal fixation? And what is the evidence? What are the finances behind it? You know really break it down.

5-Minute Summary: An Assessment of the Top 100 Most-Liked Orthopaedic Surgery TikTok Videos

The wide reach and unique short audiovisual nature of TikTok make it a potential modality for disseminating information about orthopaedic surgery to both patients and medical professionals. However, only a few recent studies have assessed the purpose and creators of orthopaedic surgery content on TikTok.

5-Minute Summary: Total Hip Arthroplasty in the Bundled Payments for Care Improvement Advanced Model: Who Will Bust the Bundle?

Lower extremity joint replacement is the second largest inpatient expense to U.S. Centers for Medicaid & Medicare Services (CMS), prompting value-based care experimentation most recently seen in the Bundled Payment for Care Improvement Advanced Model (BPCI-A). BPCI-A tested a new target pricing methodology and welcomed acute care hospital, physician group practice (PGP), and convener participants.

Cementless TKA: Start Cementless. Let the Bone Decide

The recording of The Journal of Orthopaedic Experience & Innovation Zoom "Open Mic" featuring Scott Mabry, MD, Robert Sershon, MD, Charles Taunt, DO, and Ira Kirschenbaum, MD (Moderator).