COVID-19 pandemic and the implications for orthopaedic and neurosurgery residents and fellows on spine rotations

Background: The COVID-19 global pandemic has caused unprecedented levels of strain on the United States healthcare and its workforce. Orthopaedic and neurosurgery residents and fellows, as part of this workforce have also experienced some of the uncertainty and stress caused by this pandemic. Concerns exist regarding the effects of the pandemic on spine surgery education due to the cancellation of all elective surgeries. Current Context: We explore how this pandemic is affecting orthopaedic and neurosurgery residents and fellows and their spine surgery education and experience. We also examined measures taken by the residency and fellowship programs to protect their residents and fellows, and measures taken by regulatory agencies like the ACGME and the ABOS to give programs some flexibility during these difficult times. Conclusion: Orthopaedic and neurosurgery residents and fellows are often on the front lines of patient care. Programs have to ensure adequate resources and training, supervision, and work hour requirements are met. Residents and fellows need to be ready to assist with management of COVID-19 patients if necessary. Residency programs and spine surgery fellowships need to use objective metrics to assess the impact of the pandemic on the spine surgery education of their residents and fellows in order to address any potential area of weakness caused by the decreased exposure to spine surgery.