How many members must an orthopaedic department have to teach effectively?

Although the subject matter contained in the curriculum of a medical school has expanded continuously, the time to present this material to the students has diminished. With the abandonment of most lectures in clinical subjects, students have been exposed to the surgical specialties by short required rotations through the services. Often these rotations are offered only as electives. However, the surgical specialties such as orthopaedic surgery have increased considerably in subject matter and scope. It no longer is possible to present the subject in a series of 10 or 12 lectures given by full-time or part-time faculty. Instead, to showcase the subject of orthopaedic surgery requires a clinical service that contains the full spectrum of the specialty from athletic injuries to scoliosis. Only in this way can the specialty attract the bright and capable students who will become the leaders of orthopaedics in the future. To field such a panoply of specialists requires a combined effort by the school, the hospital, and the private sector.