Our videos will not replace your traditional study resources, but we know the limitations. That is why residents are already going to YouTube to look for surgery videos, hoping to find one that is good quality. But really, a lot of residents found that time is wasted on the search for a good video that might not exist. Our video library is a resource for some of the top residency programs in the United States, supported by their residency directors.
Podiatry residents that use FASA consistently during residency:
- Deepened their understanding of each surgery
- Landed a fellowship position
- Got their dream job
The attendings at your program won't do every case like how we do it. However, residency directors have still encouraged their residents to review a FASA video before the case to get a firm grasp on the dissection, anatomy, and surgical principles. Our videos include narration from the primary surgery for each procedural step to provide context and a deeper level of understanding for the viewer. This has helped spawn more fruitful discussions between residents and their attending.
Every video has the following:
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Pre-op rationale and practical reasons why he chose this procedure
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Execution of each surgical step with an elaboration of the critical parts
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Pearls and pitfalls of each case
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Intraoperative x-ray evaluation and what to look for
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Closure technique
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Postoperative protocol
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Primary surgeon voiceovers for all the above for every surgery video
Testimonials
Dr. Greenblatt, DPM, became a FASA member in September 2020. He was a first-year podiatry resident at Inova Fairfax. Two years later, he accepted a prestigious foot and ankle reconstructive surgery fellowship. Here’s what he thought about being a member:
I originally subscribed to FASA to help augment my surgical proficiency. In addition to reading textbook descriptions of various procedures, I found that having a high-quality video to refer to improved my understanding of the procedure. I was able to clearly identify important aspects of each procedure that is somewhat limited from standard textbook literature. Furthermore, the convenience of being able to pull up these videos on my phone while simply waiting for a patient to be brought back to the operating room is something that has been greatly beneficial as it is invaluable to be able to jog my memory right before a case.
In addition to the excellent training I have received from my residency program I do feel that FASA has helped me achieve my goals. The reason being is that surgery is an art and there is no "absolute" correct way to achieve the various corrections of the foot and ankle. A valuable aspect of my training is that we work with so many different attendings and are able to see so many different ways to achieve a type of correction. With FASA I am exposed to even more of these techniques and it has challenged me to continue to ask "why" do something this way or that. By continuing to ask "why" I have found myself reading more and more literature to try to answer these questions and as a result have become a better physician and surgeon to patients.
During my 1st year I remember watching the FASA video on performing the Akin osteotomy. It was a subtle point, but I specifically remember the description of recognizing the concavity of the plantar surface of the hallux proximal phalanx and how angulating the saw blade with this in mind is prudent in preventing iatrogenic injury to the flexor tendon. That point stuck out to me and I have continued to pass it on to fellow residents.
With this realization I believe it really set forth my appreciation in the value of understanding the intricacies of bony anatomy of the foot and ankle. To this today, I still bring my bony foot model into cases to remind myself of the 3 dimensional contours of each of the bones. FASA has been invaluable to me and I am grateful to the creators who have spent the time and effort putting these videos together. I would recommend the subscription to any surgeon, resident, or student looking to further their surgical knowledge.
- Dr. Matthew Greenblatt, DPM, Inova Fairfax Podiatry Resident c/o 2023, Foot and Ankle Deformity Correction and Orthoplastics Fellowship at the Rubin Institute 2023-2024
Dr. Smith, DPM, has been using FASA since he started his training with the NMVA Podiatry Residency Program in 2020. He accepted one of the most prestigious foot and ankle reconstructive surgery fellowships starting in 2023. Here’s what he thought about being a member:
A textbook or article can teach you the steps of a procedure, however they do not do a great job at describing proper surgical technique, proper placement of hardware, efficiency, and the details that go into every step of a surgery. It can be very difficult at times to read out of textbooks and to truly understand the details required to execute a good outcome in surgery. That is taught by seeing and doing which the FASA videos provide. I use FASA as I feel that it better prepares me for surgery than reading out of a textbook or an article. FASA goes into pre-operative work-ups, imaging, the why behind surgical approaches, and then the procedure itself with tips and tricks. I think it is a very comprehensive study material that I use for every case in addition to reading textbooks and literature.
For me, FASA has given me an advantage when it comes to new surgical procedures that I have not done yet as a resident. It helps eliminate that first time fear of going into a procedure not having done or seen one yet. It also helps eliminate some of the trial and error associated with surgery.
For example, in my first couple of weeks of residency I had to do a trimalleolar ankle fracture that I hadn’t done before. By watching the FASA video on it, it allowed me to confidently do the whole procedure and visualize the proper trajectory of the screws so that I did not have to throw the wires multiple times to get the screws in the right position. This is a great resource for students, residents, and even attendings. The videos are very high quality and the discussions are great learning experiences. I have routinely utilized this for almost all my surgical cases while in residency and I would recommend FASA to anyone.
- Dr. Chad Smith, DPM, NMVA Podiatry Resident c/o 2023, Orthopedic Foot and Ankle Center Fellowship 2023-2024
Residency Program Director Testimonials
Several podiatry residency programs across the United States have subscribed to FASA. What they have found is that during surgery, residents are more able to anticipate the next step and be more proactive than reactive. This leads to a more efficient surgery for the attendings, and more opportunities for the resident to accelerate their learning process. Hear what they have to say below.
We have truly enjoyed using FASA for our residents' education. We have purchased subscriptions for our residents over the last 2 years. The residents enjoyed the explanations of the procedural steps and why they are doing certain things, as well as the provided tips for success. This has been an invaluable resource for our residents to further explain the segments and parts of the foot and ankle procedures to prepare them for surgery the following week. I look forward to watching the video library grow and I love talking to my residents about what they've watched and learned from the FASA videos
- Dr. Christy King, DPM, FACFAS, Residency Director of Kaiser San Francisco Bay Area Foot & Ankle Residency Program
Dr Haas and Cobb are pre-eminent well-respected surgeons in their field. Their wealth of experience in all aspects of foot and ankle surgery combined with their enthusiasm and joy for teaching has led to this fantastic library of surgical videos. I think that this resource is a valuable component of the armamentarium of any podiatric surgeon in training and I'm proud to endorse it.
- Dr. Lawrence Ford, DPM, FACFAS, Former Residency Director and Department Chief of Kaiser San Francisco Bay Area.
I myself enjoy the videos and will review if I have a large case coming up that I haven't done in awhile. This helps me get familiar with the anatomy and process and helps me to guide and train the residents in an organized manner. I will also assign the residents to review the videos of procedures prior to their surgical cases. The videos are succinct and provide excellent visualization of the dissection, surgical field and repair process. There are tips and pearls discussed that you will not get in a textbook or journal article.
I feel that by myself and residents reviewing the videos beforehand there is a new level of expectation and confidence that is gained. Even if my technique varies slightly from the videos I feel that I can have a discussion on a higher level with the resident about the surgical process and the choices that are made in the operating room. My residents are able to predict the next step and are more proactive rather than reactive for their procedures.
I really enjoyed the flatfoot reconstruction video and STJ arthrodesis videos. Due to COVID and our hospital stopping elective surgery for an extended time, it had been almost 2 years since I had done a large rearfoot fusion. It was very reassuring to just review the videos and techniques. The surgery went very smooth and the procedure was completed faster than my previous repairs as both the resident and I had a good game plan and were on the same page during the procedure.
The quality and usability of the website is top notch! I remember searching through dozens of random YouTube videos to find what I wanted to review. They are always adding new content. The group/creators are easy to contact and even have discussion forums if you have a difficult case you want to present to get suggestions and feedback prior to a surgery. This is great for residents - technique videos, step by step and not just "this is what you do" but goes into the "why" behind procedures and reviews some of the pertinent literature.
- Dr. Sarah Mele, DPM, FACFAS, Residency Director of DVA New Mexico Podiatry Residency Program.
