GEEKS and CHICKS in Ortho

This forum made possible through the generous support of SDN members, donors, and sponsors. Thank you.

ribcrackindoc

Member
7+ Year Member
15+ Year Member
20+ Year Member
Joined
Oct 17, 2002
Messages
93
Reaction score
0
applicant #1:
I'm a 5'2" 99 lb nerd who isn't into sports and couldn't tell you the difference between a barbell and a dumbell. But I look good on paper and I know my stuff in the OR. What are my chances of getting into an Orthopedic Surgery residency?????

applicant #2
I'm a chick who's just as smart as the scrawny nerd above. What are my chances????

applicant #3
I'm 6'4" musclebound, I played B-ball for a D-1 college, I'm a frat boy, and I can chug a beer in less than 3 seconds. However, my class rank, board scores, etc. pretty much suck. What are my chances???

Members don't see this ad.
 
Applicant #1: Very good
Applicant #2: Off the charts good
Applicant #3: Not very good at all. Possible but not likely.

All this from experience of my friends who can each be classified into one of these groups. #1 matched at HSS, #2 matched some university program she really wanted, #3 matched into a preliminary surgery spot
 
Just from my experiences around the hospital...

Applicant 1: Will get in on his academic meirts and qualifications. He will initially feel out of place during residency, but will eventually be transformed into a sports worshipping, beer drinkin', steak eatin', cussin' orthopod during residency.

Applicant 2: Will most likely get in also on her academic merits. She will definetly feel out of place in the male-dominated environment (unless she happens to be a butch) for a long time, even after she becomes attending.
She may very well become successful, but she'll always be an outsider and never "one of the guys".

Applicant 3: Will become Chief of Orthopedic Surgery at a first-tier program.
 
Members don't see this ad :)
:clap:

According to locker room jabber (which could be bs), orthopods were not always top of their class. They couldn't get into a gen surg prog so they applied to ortho. The above statement reminded me of a chief orthopod that was in the bottom third of his class.

Someone confirm this.
 
I have met a number of Orthopedic surgeons from point of view of a patient. They ALL seemed to me to be rather nonverbal and unsupportive but proud of their skill with the tools of the trade--bone chisels, titanium rods, stainless steel plates, reducing screws, percentage of rotation etc. In some ways more like mechanically minded and way less consoling/explaining/supportive than other drs I have met as a patient.
This is just my impression from the 4 that I have met and I realize it is a small sample, but it is interesting how all 4 happened to have these same personality traits.
Most likely they are attracted to this field because of its mechanical & engineering aspects (?) Or else they develop these traits from hanging around with the other OS's as the above posters suggested.
BTW--All 4 were males-- 2 young, 1 old, and 1 middleaged
 
Yasergale, actually most anybody who can get into an ortho residency can get into a general surgery residency, as the academic achievements needed to land an ortho residency are pretty intense and very few (if any) spots are left unmatched. Unfortunately, as the age-old motto goes regarding ortho residency:

"Takes the brightest, turns them into the stupidest":p
 
Originally posted by SomeFakeName
Applicant 2: Will most likely get in also on her academic merits. She will definetly feel out of place in the male-dominated environment (unless she happens to be a butch) for a long time, even after she becomes attending.
She may very well become successful, but she'll always be an outsider and never "one of the guys".
I'm far from butch and have always been considered one of the guys. Guys are so much less complicated to work with then females. The ortho image is part of what draws me toward the field. The other reasons are I am an engineer and have had some bad experiences myself from athletic injuries and not being listened to.
 
It is true that orthopedics used to be VERY non-competitive. If you look around the nation, you would be surprised at the number of chairman and faculty who were from Caribbean/Mexican medical schools (not that there's anything wrong with that:p ). Our chairman said he did ortho cuz that was the only way he was going to get to do some type of surgery. General Surgery used to be insanely competitive. Kinda funny how the world goes around (kinda funna how the world goes around on a direct line with salaries!). hmm.

I just wonder if Derm would be so competitive if they made the money the deserve (IMHO) instead of the ENORMOUS salaries they achieve. I didn't think so. I'm not bitter.
 
The noncompetitive theory goes out the door at my school (U of AZ). The head of ortho at our dept. is Dr. Grana, from Harvard, moved to OK and began a practice that became the largest in the state within 6 years, was the Team Physician for the US Olympic team, moved to AZ and is now a consultant with a # of the sports teams... so who knows?

Originally posted by dr.evil
It is true that orthopedics used to be VERY non-competitive. If you look around the nation, you would be surprised at the number of chairman and faculty who were from Caribbean/Mexican medical schools (not that there's anything wrong with that:p ). Our chairman said he did ortho cuz that was the only way he was going to get to do some type of surgery. General Surgery used to be insanely competitive. Kinda funny how the world goes around (kinda funna how the world goes around on a direct line with salaries!). hmm.

I just wonder if Derm would be so competitive if they made the money the deserve (IMHO) instead of the ENORMOUS salaries they achieve. I didn't think so. I'm not bitter.
 
As the saying goes here in the UK, "An orthopod is as strong as an Ox, but twice as thick". There are exceptions to any rule ofcourse.
 
One of the Attendings at Pitt told us that when he went into ortho the requirements were:

1) be at the bottom of your class
2) benchpress your own weight
 
Orthopedics has been pretty competative for a long time now. Few people match into it now without very good credentials. It is still a very high paid field, but is feeling the pinch in many areas like everyone else. Part of the discrepency for competition as compared to gen. surgery is related to the far fewer # of positions available. Most of the ortho residents start out as pretty good all-around doctors as they're usually very bright, but patient care issues & managment skills are pretty quickly lost as they concentrate on technical issues. By the end of their training most of them are pretty poor clinicians outside their focus (same thing could be said I guess for a lot of the specialties like radiology, ENT, derm, rad-onc)
 
Originally posted by droliver
Most of the ortho residents start out as pretty good all-around doctors as they're usually very bright, but patient care issues & managment skills are pretty quickly lost as they concentrate on technical issues. By the end of their training most of them are pretty poor clinicians outside their focus (same thing could be said I guess for a lot of the specialties like radiology, ENT, derm, rad-onc)

I'm going to have to call BS on that one. Try not to believe every urban legend you hear.

Bonecutter
 
Ortho -

This specialty can select from the very best any class has to offer. Sure, some of them seem to be cut from the rough, but do not let their thick chests, college team tatoos, or their love for fun give you the wrong idea that they are the average college beer-drinking frat boy. They are able to have fun, play sports, drink beer, and still maintain honors grades. Those accepted to ortho spots have managed to tackle school like it were some fourth-string whipping-boy, while also maintaining a personality and a love for things outside of school.
 
thanks dobonedoc.

I worked with a couple of orthopods. Among them, one was huge sports and music fan, one was movie maniac. I found orthopods to be friendly, easy going personality.
 
Top