considering ortho

[seabreeze]

for all the surgery/ortho folks out there, i have a few questions for you. i'm an ms3 enjoying my surgery rotation and thinking that i'd like to do ortho, but i've had a hard time getting good information on what's a long-shot, competitive, or shoe-in applicant (ie usmle, class rank, aoa, research, etc.). stats - i got a 234 on step 1, in the 2nd quartile of my class, and have been doing well in my clinical rotations thus far, so i'm wondering:
1. what does it take to match ortho?
2. do i have a realistic shot?
3. if so, would i have any choices as to which program, or would i have to go where they would take me?
i would appreciate any input on this matter.
thanks.

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[ortho2003]

With ortho, you can never just pick where you want to go. You will have a say, and many match in their top 2 or 3, but many also drop to 8-10 on their rank lists. The number I have heard thrown around for competetive apps ar 230. You are going to want to honor every rotation you can and AOA helps a ton. Some programs (big academic places) look at research very highly, others don't care.

The most important thing you can do is check out which programs you may be interested in and do an away there. Kick ass on your away and you have the best chance of getting in. Do poor, and you pretty much shot that program.

There is a recent article in the Nov JBJS on the ortho match and what PDs think is important. You should check that out. Another good source for ortho info is orthogate.com. Check out the link for the orthopaedic residency ring. That is a forum like this but only future pods go there. Good luck.

 

[seabreeze]

ortho2003
thanks for the info. i appreciate the help.
seabreeze