Saturday nights can be busy for Texas Tech Physicians of El Paso doctors working in the trauma bays at University Medical Center of El Paso. Emergency medical technicians wheel in patients who have experienced severe falls, car accidents resulting in complex fractures, or they might have serious conditions like bone cancer. What many of them share is their wait to see an orthopedic specialist like Dr. Rajiv Rajani.<\/p>\n
Starting July 1, a new orthopedic surgery residency at Texas Tech Health El Paso will provide\u00a0 Rajani, who chairs the university\u2019s orthopedic surgery program, with the first of up to 15 more sets of hands and eyes on the front lines of care right here in our Borderplex. For families across the region, that means faster care when every minute counts.<\/p>\n
By training three residents each year in a five-year program at UMC, the university\u2019s primary academic hospital, Texas Tech Health El Paso aims to increase the number of orthopedic surgeons and expand subspecialty care. The program also aims to increase the likelihood that graduates will stay and practice in El Paso and nearby communities.\u00a0<\/p>\n
For patients, this means more orthopedic specialists available in exam and operating rooms here at home, and the ability to accommodate more patients with complex surgeries that previously required travel or long delays.<\/p>\n
\u201cResidency is your pathway for local care,\u201d said Rajani, who will also direct the new residency program. \u201cWhen you talk about musculoskeletal health, El Paso is underserved. Training here helps us build, retain and stabilize high-quality orthopedic services for our community.\u201d<\/p>\n
The program aims to train up to 15 individuals by 2030 to fill a documented gap in orthopedic surgeons.<\/p>\n
\u201cThis is a major achievement for families across West Texas and Southern New Mexico,\u201d said Dr. Armando Meza, associate dean of the university\u2019s Graduate Medical Education program. \u201cIt broadens our institution\u2019s postgraduate training options and supports efforts to address the physician shortage in our region.\u201d<\/p>\n
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Orthopedic surgeons Dr. Taylor M. Yong, Dr. Rajiv Rajani and Dr. Adam H. Adler, will be among the physicians training the next generation of orthopedic residents. The program will add up to 15 new medical residents in El Paso by 2030. Photo by Texas Tech Health El Paso. <\/p>\n
When Rajani describes the orthopedic caseload in El Paso, the numbers tell a story: Specialist care has struggled to keep pace with population growth.<\/p>\n
Orthopedic residents who join the new program will gain experience as unique as our Borderplex. Unlike programs that rotate residents across multiple cities, this program keeps the full training pathway here.<\/p>\n
Core rotations anchor within the El Paso region at UMC, the area\u2019s Level I trauma center, with educational partnerships across academic hospitals and community practices.<\/p>\n
The program is distinct from \u2014 yet collaborative with \u2014 the long-standing combined program at William Beaumont Army Medical Center, which has trained five orthopedic residents per class with one civilian slot. \u201cWe\u2019re transitioning from a shared program to our own civilian residency,\u201d\u00a0 Rajani said. \u201cThe responsibility is ours to do it well.\u201d<\/p>\n
An orthopedic residency transforms a newly graduated medical student into a practicing surgeon. Each first-year doctor perfects histories, physical exams, musculoskeletal assessments, suturing and wound care. As they progress, the resident takes on independent roles in basic procedures, and handles complex cases under the supervision of attending physicians.<\/p>\n
For Natalie Devitto, a third-year medical student at the Foster School of Medicine from Dallas with roots in El Paso, she hopes to join the program upon graduation.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s very exciting and I think opens a lot of opportunities for students like me,\u201d Devitto said. \u201cIf you train in El Paso, then you are likely to stay in El Paso.\u201d<\/p>\n
The layered training unfolds against a backdrop few single-city programs can offer. El Paso\u2019s binational footprint produces a broad case mix, with patients needing care in trauma, oncology, sports medicine, spine, hand surgery, foot and ankle, and pediatrics.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe see everything here,\u201d Rajani said. \u201cThe combination of a Level I trauma center, border-related trauma, oncology and a vast service region creates uncommon training depth.\u201d<\/p>\n
Quality underlies every decision. \u201cAcademic hospitals deliver better outcomes because someone is in the hospital who can evaluate patients almost 24\/7 when issues arise,\u201d Rajani said. The department manages approximately 20,000 patient visits annually. To support education and demand for services, the department plans to grow faculty numbers from 10 to 14.<\/p>\n
Interest in the new program, which starts in the summer of 2026, is already strong. The program has received nearly 200 applications for three positions. \u201cThere\u2019s no expectation we\u2019ll have unfilled spots,\u201d Rajani said.<\/p>\n
For El Pasoans wondering what will change July 1, when the new orthopedic residents begin at UMC, the most immediate difference is in time and attention: more hands for evaluations, more eyes on complex cases and deeper follow-up coordination. The longer-term difference is in continuity \u2014 the likelihood that doctors who train here will stay here, strengthening a stable musculoskeletal-care network for our Borderplex.<\/p>\n
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