Taylor Lackey, MD
Hand and Upper Extremity Fellow
University of California – Irvine
Orange, CA
How has the AAOS helped you throughout your career?
The educational resources in a variety of forms (ResStudy, podcasts, clinical practice guidelines, OVT, etc) have been valuable throughout my training career including for routine OITE exams and written boards. Connection to colleagues through the academy has provided a medium to develop research ideas and search for employment opportunities.
As a Fellowship Member, which AAOS resources do you use most and why?
The Career Center job board has been helpful in identifying employment opportunities, as well as the member directory to contact potential jobs of interest.
What’s the best advice you were ever given? Who was it from?
Mark Bernhardt, the chairman of my residency program before his passing, had several pearls of advice that are now the voice in my head. Some notable pearls are:
1. What’s the first rule of surgery? Don’t prep yourself out of the case.
2. Always put up a roadmap (imaging studies) at the beginning of the case. 3. Two hands when you’re learning, and learning is a lifelong process.
4. Don’t look at the imaging before seeing the patient.
What’s your go-to productivity trick?
Getting things done by David Allen. He describes a method of organizing your thoughts into the “next actions” that can be accomplished for the various tasks and projects we all work on.
What’s one thing you’re currently trying to make a habit?
Tracking operative cases with detailed information about associated equipment and codes/billing in anticipation of practice next year.
What hobbies do you enjoy in your spare time?
Hiking and long walks on the beach with my wife.
Tell us a fun fact about yourself that not many people know?
I built a computer this last year. I played rugby during my first year of college. I've hiked thirteen 14,000 foot peaks in Colorado. I learned how to ski during my first year of residency.