By: Robyn Darnell, PR and Communications Coordinator
Unless you or a loved one has attended medical school, it can be difficult to understand a provider’s specific credentials. The medical world is full of acronyms and abbreviations that can make finding the right care unnecessarily difficult. At Family Health West, we are committed to being the best place to work and the best place to receive care.
With the addition of Dr. Fortunato Padua, our Orthopedics team now contains three fellowship trained doctors including Dr. Ackerson and Dr. Copeland. But what does “fellowship trained” even mean? And more importantly, how does it impact your care at FHW?
Most medical doctors follow the same path in their education. They receive a bachelor’s degree, attend medical school and then complete their residency. However, some may choose to pursue fellowship training in a specific area. Fellowship training is an additional, optional year-long program that physicians attend after completing their residency training. The purpose of fellowship training is to gather additional experience and expertise about a specific area within a provider’s chosen clinical specialty.
Applying for a fellowship training program can be a competitive process. Prospective fellows are required to complete the application process and interviews before they are selected for a specific program. FHW’s new orthopedic surgeon, Dr. Fortunato Padua, followed this process before starting his fellowship training in sports medicine, orthopedic surgery at Mississippi Sports Medicine and Orthopaedic Center.
“I was really blessed to go to an awesome fellowship where we saw a ton of patients,” Dr. Padua said. “I worked with some of the best people in the whole country who were around when shoulder arthroscopy was being developed. It ended up being a pretty thorough experience in both sports and joints.”
As a former athlete and outdoor lover, Dr. Padua decided to pursue this fellowship training due to his own personal passions. “I have always liked sports. Being an active person myself, who has played a ton of sports, I know injuries are a big setback. I’ve personally been through something many athletes have been through,” Dr. Padua said. “What we really do is restore people’s quality of life, and I think that’s really exciting.”
So what does that mean for patients seeking treatment from FHW Orthopedics? Receiving the best care is about more than just who has the most letters after their name. It’s about finding the right provider who understands your needs and will work with you to help you achieve your goals.
“I can tell you for certain that the people that I trained under were experts in their field and really trained me to be able to replicate exactly what they’re doing,” Dr. Padua said. “Patients really don’t have to go far anymore, they come right here to Fruita and get some top-tier treatment.”
For more information about FHW Orthopedics, please visit https://fhw.org/services/orthopedics/ or call the clinic directly at 970-858-2705.
