We have had 10 groups of visiting surgeons come to Valley Medical Center to observe hip and knee replacement surgery. We have had several local Seattle surgeons, others from around the greater Washington area, two groups from Italy, one from New Zealand, and two from China. These surgeons come to learn a variety of different techniques, particularly anterior-approach hip replacement and surgical techniques for primary and revision total knees. It is always fun and interesting to get exposure to different surgeons and countries. What becomes apparent, though we live in different parts of the world, we all do things in a very similar fashion. This exchange of ideas between local as well as far-reaching centers allows the exchange of ideas about orthopedics and joint replacement, in particular, and cultural attitudes towards medicine and care of patients. It is something that I enjoy and feel honored to be able to both give and receive new knowledge from these interactions. We will continue to have this program moving forward. Often, the surgeons will want to see how the patients did from the previous day, and we will go up to the ward and watch our patients walk, going home, typically, the day after surgery.
