ortho attending AMA

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How saturated is Ortho in desirable places, like say Denver. What specific sub specialties of Ortho are most and least saturated?

Do you think total joints will continue to prosper in the future as our population gets older? I heard there's a lot of competition in that field though similar to Sports.

Finally, do you feel that there's any prejudice among patients when choosing a surgeon who is not a white male? For example any prejudice against women or colored people including males? Would a white female or say Indian man have a harder time building a successful patient base than a white man? I know that's a tough question to answer and I'm sure some people are prejudiced but just wondering how much of an effect this happens on a macro scale?
 
OrthoTraumaMD said:
Desirable places are more saturated, yes. Most saturated is sports. Least is oncology.

Yes as the population gets older the demand for hip and knee replacement gets higher. However joints are also entering “bundled care” protocols and therefore the payment for the surgeon will decrease.

As for last question, no. No prejudice. I am female. Occasionally you’ll get questions or comments that you’re not what they expect, but just be a good surgeon and you will be fine.


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Oddly curious, what are your thoughts on ortho oncology? I never hear much about it.
 
pbrocks15 said:
Oddly curious, what are your thoughts on ortho oncology? I never hear much about it.
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It requires a special breed of person to do: most I’ve met have been either Aspbergers-y or very jokester kind of personality. You deal with some terrible things, and need to able to handle death because it’s a regular occurrence for your patients (synovial sarcoma, chondrosarcoma etc). It’s also a very niche field with the lowest amount of people, because to do it properly you need to be in a big place with proper pathology, rad onc etc. so there aren’t that many jobs. It’s the field that requires the most interdisciplinary work, as you are constantly planning with and around medical/chemo treatment. It’s intellectually and physically challenging—those guys do absolutely insane large/long cases like hemipelvectomy. It’s not for everyone.


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OrthoTraumaMD said:
It requires a special breed of person to do: most I’ve met have been either Aspbergers-y or very jokester kind of personality. You deal with some terrible things, and need to able to handle death because it’s a regular occurrence for your patients (synovial sarcoma, chondrosarcoma etc). It’s also a very niche field with the lowest amount of people, because to do it properly you need to be in a big place with proper pathology, rad onc etc. so there aren’t that many jobs. It’s the field that requires the most interdisciplinary work, as you are constantly planning with and around medical/chemo treatment. It’s intellectually and physically challenging—those guys do absolutely insane large/long cases like hemipelvectomy. It’s not for everyone.


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Wow, thanks a lot for that! Dont hear too much about it (as well as peds ortho) so that was nice to hear your input! Appreciate it!
 
OrthoTraumaMD said:
It requires a special breed of person to do: most I’ve met have been either Aspbergers-y or very jokester kind of personality. You deal with some terrible things, and need to able to handle death because it’s a regular occurrence for your patients (synovial sarcoma, chondrosarcoma etc). It’s also a very niche field with the lowest amount of people, because to do it properly you need to be in a big place with proper pathology, rad onc etc. so there aren’t that many jobs. It’s the field that requires the most interdisciplinary work, as you are constantly planning with and around medical/chemo treatment. It’s intellectually and physically challenging—those guys do absolutely insane large/long cases like hemipelvectomy. It’s not for everyone.


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If you match into an ortho residency, how difficult is it after that to specialize into ortho onc? Is it easy because no one wants to do it or hard because there are so few fellowships and cases?
 
DT III said:
If you match into an ortho residency, how difficult is it after that to specialize into ortho onc? Is it easy because no one wants to do it or hard because there are so few fellowships and cases?
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Easy to get fellowship, hard to get job.

From my friend who is an oncology surgeon:
“In general I’d say oncology is pretty easy to match into. It is pretty variable from year to year. Finding a job can be hard. Almost all are academic jobs. Most people are doing 50-60% tumor with the rest filled by joints or trauma.”

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@OrthoTraumaMD
What are your thoughts on applicants not doing a sub-I at their home program in favor of doing an additional away at a program they really want to match into?
I go a 'brand name; school w/ a 'brand name' ortho department but im not interested in matching here because because I really want to go back to my state to be close to family. Prog director here told me to consider skipping the home program rotation when i told them where I really wanted to end up.
I see the appeal of getting another sub-I at a competitive program in the state I want to go to, but I'm worried it'll look strange and raise questions.
I have done research with some ortho attendings already so i would have good letters w/o rotating (they've told me), but I'm assuming I could strengthen my letters more if I do a rotation.
Also since the ortho attendings at my home program are probably pretty well known at other programs, interviewers will probably ask about my experience there and I would have less (not none) things to say about the department and some of the attendings.
 
bonemann said:
@OrthoTraumaMD
What are your thoughts on applicants not doing a sub-I at their home program in favor of doing an additional away at a program they really want to match into?
I go a 'brand name; school w/ a 'brand name' ortho department but im not interested in matching here because because I really want to go back to my state to be close to family. Prog director here told me to consider skipping the home program rotation when i told them where I really wanted to end up.
I see the appeal of getting another sub-I at a competitive program in the state I want to go to, but I'm worried it'll look strange and raise questions.
I have done research with some ortho attendings already so i would have good letters w/o rotating (they've told me), but I'm assuming I could strengthen my letters more if I do a rotation.
Also since the ortho attendings at my home program are probably pretty well known at other programs, interviewers will probably ask about my experience there and I would have less (not none) things to say about the department and some of the attendings.
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If you are getting letters without rotating, then it is fine. Go do your away. If you are worried about getting stronger letters, spend some time with the attendings on weekends or something like that, without doing an actual rotation.


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I recently read an article comparing surgical specialties. In a poll of 155 orthopedic surgeons the mean time they spent in the OR per week was 13.2 hours. Some other surgical fields like vascular and CT reported >20 OR hours/week.

Are these numbers typical in your experience? Do some subspecialties of orthopedics operate more than others?
 
ChrisTurkletonMD said:
I recently read an article comparing surgical specialties. In a poll of 155 orthopedic surgeons the mean time they spent in the OR per week was 13.2 hours. Some other surgical fields like vascular and CT reported >20 OR hours/week.

Are these numbers typical in your experience? Do some subspecialties of orthopedics operate more than others?
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Really depends on the practice setting. I definitely do more than that. Some surgeons have shorter cases. Most people I know do about 20.


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Someone asked me privately about Ortho interview tips. Sharing below:

Take a deep breath. You were invited because your grades are good enough and your application is good enough. Now is the time to let your personality shine.

If you have rotated at the place before, don’t make the mistake of being “informal” on your interview. Treat it just like you’re meeting them for the first time.

Answer questions concisely. We don’t like small talk, so don’t ramble.

Know your application cold. You may be asked about your research—if you did research on ankle fractures, know pertinent anatomy and the lauge hansen classification.

Some (d**k) residencies will make you do stupid things like play operation or mold bones out of putty. They’re looking to trip you up. Even if you don’t know the answer, stay calm.

One useful trick I learned is to look up my interviewers while I was waiting—typically they will give you a list of the people who will be doing your interviews in the beginning.... look up their specialties so you’re not blindsided. If you did sports research and the person interviewing you is a sports surgeon, you better believe they will be asking you stuff. So quickly look them up online before you go in.

Be personable. Don’t be afraid. We are looking for people who will be our colleagues, those whom we can hang out with at the end of the day. Try not to “fake” a personality.


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ChrisTurkletonMD said:
I recently read an article comparing surgical specialties. In a poll of 155 orthopedic surgeons the mean time they spent in the OR per week was 13.2 hours. Some other surgical fields like vascular and CT reported >20 OR hours/week.

Are these numbers typical in your experience? Do some subspecialties of orthopedics operate more than others?
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I just spent 30hrs from Friday to Sunday with our ortho trauma guy. OTOH, over the long weekend, I only saw one other orthopedist who did 2 elective joints on Friday. The rest were probably enjoying their food coma and football.
 
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nimbus said:
I just spent 30hrs from Friday to Sunday with our ortho trauma guy. OTOH, over the long weekend, I only saw one other orthopedist who did 2 elective joints on Friday. The rest were probably enjoying their food coma and football.
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Yup I was also on call this weekend, got murdered Sunday... didn’t get out of cases til after 9pm.


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Can you speak to the importance of binocular vision in surgery? I have essentially monocular vision which has not affected me so far in my life (essentially have had monocularvision since a toddler). I drive fine, played sports, etc... My concern isn't about visual acuity, which is 20/20, but rather depth perception.

So far in my third year I haven't had a terrible time in the OR, but I have noticed it takes me a little more effort when cutting sutures in deeper wounds, for example... I know this likely precludes me from doing fine microsurgeries and spine stuff, but I do wonder about bigger cases. Thanks.
 
mikil100 said:
Can you speak to the importance of binocular vision in surgery? I have essentially monocular vision which has not affected me so far in my life (essentially have had monocularvision since a toddler). I drive fine, played sports, etc... My concern isn't about visual acuity, which is 20/20, but rather depth perception.

So far in my third year I haven't had a terrible time in the OR, but I have noticed it takes me a little more effort when cutting sutures in deeper wounds, for example... I know this likely precludes me from doing fine microsurgeries and spine stuff, but I do wonder about bigger cases. Thanks.
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As long as your visual acuity is fine, then you should not have issues with bigger cases.


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When did you know for sure that you wanted to do your residency in orthopedic surgery?
 
hey @OrthoTraumaMD if i was on an abstract for a national conference and on the e-poster as well, can I list both even if I ended up not going to the conference?
I only ask because e-posters aren't presented by anyone, they are projected on screens or put on a conference app/website so it doesn't seem like me being at the conference or not should matter.
Is that double dipping in your eyes?
 
bonemann said:
hey @OrthoTraumaMD if i was on an abstract for a national conference and on the e-poster as well, can I list both even if I ended up not going to the conference?
I only ask because e-posters aren't presented by anyone, they are projected on screens or put on a conference app/website so it doesn't seem like me being at the conference or not should matter.
Is that double dipping in your eyes?
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I would list the abstract, and then in parentheses that it was also an e-poster. Unless you’re presenting the same thing at two different conferences, that to me is double dipping.


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Would you talk about subspecialty selection? Why do a fellowship? How do you select the subspecialty? How important is it to do a fellowship--Is it recommended/Is a residency enough? Do most residents go on into a fellowship?
 
CuriousGeorge191 said:
Would you talk about subspecialty selection? Why do a fellowship? How do you select the subspecialty? How important is it to do a fellowship--Is it recommended/Is a residency enough? Do most residents go on into a fellowship?
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95% of residents go on to fellowship these days. It has to do with the fact that hospitals and practices want subspecialized surgeons to do certain things. They don’t look for generalists, they look for “foot and ankle” or “sports” etc. That way, they can market themselves to patients as having doctors who are highly trained and specialized. Additionally, some hospitals will not grant you privileges to do certain things if you don’t have a fellowship. Spine is the most common example of this.

As far as choosing a subspecialty, you choose it based on your clinical rotations, your goals in life, etc. It’s the same as choosing a specialty in medical school. I can’t really answer that any more specifically, because people choose their subspecialties for different reasons. I’ve talked about why I chose trauma before on this thread. You apply for fellowships in your fourth year, and just like with residency, it is a match.


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Could you talk about the current state of ortho trauma fellowship? I've heard rumblings that the number of positions will be shrunk due to low demand.
 
Hello! Thanks for this wonderful thread

I’m not sure if this has been already asked but I’m wondering what you think about away rotations for general surgery.
The attendings here said it was a good idea since my personality doesn’t suck. They said they usually tell people with weird personalities to not do it.

I don’t really feel like doing any. It just seems like a hassle and a financial drain.
 
MerYangBey said:
Hello! Thanks for this wonderful thread

I’m not sure if this has been already asked but I’m wondering what you think about away rotations for general surgery.
The attendings here said it was a good idea since my personality doesn’t suck. They said they usually tell people with weird personalities to not do it.

I don’t really feel like doing any. It just seems like a hassle and a financial drain.
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I would ask that on the general surgery forums. Generally i don’t care where people do their core rotations as long as they get good grades.


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tymont12 said:
Could you talk about the current state of ortho trauma fellowship? I've heard rumblings that the number of positions will be shrunk due to low demand.
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Yes. We graduate too many trauma fellows and the reality is that there are not enough academic jobs to go around. Expect the standards for fellowship accreditation to get tighter. That is all I can say for now.


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Assuming an M1 was at a school with a solid home department, if he/she had the opportunity to do summer research at a prestigious institution or to continue churning out pubs at home during that time, which would be the better move? Assuming one would be equally productive at either place, but the prestigious place has a greater proportion of big name faculty, does it matter?

I guess if the M1 stayed at home, connections with faculty would be deepened and he/she might be even more prolific due to the momentum he/she had already developed.

If the M1 went to somewhere like HSS, maybe the pubs might be "worth more" because of the big name(s) one is presumably working with and you now have the link with a faculty member or two at HSS. Might make securing an away there easier later on. Furthermore, one could argue that going somewhere for two months won't weaken your connections at home and that you'll also have time to further develop your connections during your sub-i.
 
Fracture said:
Assuming an M1 was at a school with a solid home department, if he/she had the opportunity to do summer research at a prestigious institution or to continue churning out pubs at home during that time, which would be the better move? Assuming one would be equally productive at either place, but the prestigious place has a greater proportion of big name faculty, does it matter?

I guess if the M1 stayed at home, connections with faculty would be deepened and he/she might be even more prolific due to the momentum he/she had already developed.

If the M1 went to somewhere like HSS, maybe the pubs might be "worth more" because of the big name(s) one is presumably working with and you now have the link with a faculty member or two at HSS. Might make securing an away there easier later on. Furthermore, one could argue that going somewhere for two months won't weaken your connections at home and that you'll also have time to further develop your connections during your sub-i.
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If you are saying you would be “equally productive,” truly, as in you would publish five articles at each place, I would pick the more prestigious place. BUT. And a big but.....

You won’t be as productive. Also, being very familiar with ivory tower research places, I can say that the reality is this: at those places, you rarely see the faculty. You will mostly work with their research non-physician admins, and the residents. They have a million students, and the chances of developing a meaningful relationship in a short amount of time is slim. Many of them have never even been to their own research office — they don’t even know what building it’s in. The idea that you’ll work one on one with a “big name” is a pie in the sky.

Here’s the thing: with Ortho, matching ANYWHERE is fine. You’re not gunning for the top places—- unless you have an uncle to call for you— because that’s how many of those kids get the spot. But if you have that uncle, you don’t need crazy research anyway. Your goal, if I were you, is to develop a super solid relationship at your home program rather than be a brief cog in the research machine of a large place. Realistically, home base is where you have the best chance of matching. If they know you well, they can make the phone call to other places... or they will just take you themselves.

Does that make sense?


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Also... @Fracture I just have to say it because I’ve been staring at your profile pic for like a year now. I must ask, is it intentional that your username is Fracture, and the Xray has a fracture of the lateral wall because the screw broke through it when it was placed? Will heal fine but it’s just bothering me


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Hi and thanks for taking the time to answer questions! I am sure you are quite busy and I apologize if I missed your answer to similar questions somewhere in the last 24 pages.

1. Did you decide to do ortho and then trauma or did you know you wanted to do trauma from day 1? If the latter, can you speak to your decision to do ortho trauma instead of GS trauma? I have some experience abroad and am interested in international conflict-zone work (think MSF during the Soviet-Afghan conflict or the present Sudanese civil war) so if you have any particular wisdom about these fields as they relate to such work it would be even more appreciated.

2. What's your favorite tool to use in the OR?
 
wontonsoup said:
Hi and thanks for taking the time to answer questions! I am sure you are quite busy and I apologize if I missed your answer to similar questions somewhere in the last 24 pages.

1. Did you decide to do ortho and then trauma or did you know you wanted to do trauma from day 1? If the latter, can you speak to your decision to do ortho trauma instead of GS trauma? I have some experience abroad and am interested in international conflict-zone work (think MSF during the Soviet-Afghan conflict or the present Sudanese civil war) so if you have any particular wisdom about these fields as they relate to such work it would be even more appreciated.

2. What's your favorite tool to use in the OR?
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1. I wanted to do vascular initially. Then I decided it wasn’t for me, and did Ortho. I knew I wanted Ortho trauma in my first year of residency. I talk about It in the first 5 pages or so. As far as why not GS trauma, I hate viscera and anything to do with bowels. Also I didn’t want to take in-house call as an attending.

I don’t know much about military stuff, other than history. But in terms of trauma, most of the real meaty surgery happens in hospitals far from the conflict zone. All you are doing close to the battlefield is triage and damage control. So you would lose your complex surgical skills if you did it long term. It doesn’t make sense for people like me, who are trained in complicated reconstruction, to be slapping ex-fixes on all day.

2. My rep. Lol. But seriously, it depends on the case. I think my favorite instrument is the Jungbluth. It’s such a cool little device. But there are so many others - I also like the intramedullary reducer tool, the synthes colinear clamp, and the 90 degree hohmann retractors (in my hospital I use them so much that they are called the “___ fingers” with the blank space being my last name)


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OrthoTraumaMD said:
If you are saying you would be “equally productive,” truly, as in you would publish five articles at each place, I would pick the more prestigious place. BUT. And a big but.....

You won’t be as productive. Also, being very familiar with ivory tower research places, I can say that the reality is this: at those places, you rarely see the faculty. You will mostly work with their research non-physician admins, and the residents. They have a million students, and the chances of developing a meaningful relationship in a short amount of time is slim. Many of them have never even been to their own research office — they don’t even know what building it’s in. The idea that you’ll work one on one with a “big name” is a pie in the sky.

Here’s the thing: with Ortho, matching ANYWHERE is fine. You’re not gunning for the top places—- unless you have an uncle to call for you— because that’s how many of those kids get the spot. But if you have that uncle, you don’t need crazy research anyway. Your goal, if I were you, is to develop a super solid relationship at your home program rather than be a brief cog in the research machine of a large place. Realistically, home base is where you have the best chance of matching. If they know you well, they can make the phone call to other places... or they will just take you themselves.

Does that make sense?


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Click to expand...

Yes, that makes total sense. That's exactly how I see it as well. The HSS example was something that I was thinking could potentially strengthen my application, but I see that that's not really the case. But I totally agree, your home program is where you should focus. You'll be a known commodity come match time, so you'll have a greater chance at matching at home and you'll have people that can truly go to bat for you at other programs.

I have zero interest in matching at an ivory tower place that's fellow focused like HSS. I just want to be exceptionally well trained and potentially go into academia.
 
OrthoTraumaMD said:
Also... @Fracture I just have to say it because I’ve been staring at your profile pic for like a year now. I must ask, is it intentional that your username is Fracture, and the Xray has a fracture of the lateral wall because the screw broke through it when it was placed? Will heal fine but it’s just bothering me


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Hahaha. No, I had no idea that was the case. See, I'm learning already, lol. I just thought it was a cool x-ray and a fitting name.
 
Hi OrthoTraumaMD,

I'm a second-year osteopathic medical student who has known throughout working as an athletic trainer and ortho medical assistant that I wanted to pursue ortho. My school provides us with only 4 audition rotations and I want to utilize those wisely. There is one traditionally osteopathic orthopedic residency nearby in a neighboring state that has a relationship with my school. There are also 2 orthopedic residencies in my state that are both located at academic medical centers affiliated with respective allopathic institutions. With that said, should I stick with applying to programs that are "D.O. friendly" aka the formerly AOA programs, or also apply to my state ACGME programs?

Secondly, I'm applying to an orthopedic research internship and have been asked to submit a writing sample in addition to other application materials. I've submitted personal statements, cover letters, etc. in the past, but never been asked to submit a writing sample. The paper I planned to submit as my sample is 20 pages. Seeing that you have worked in academics and research, do you recommend I submit the entire paper or just an excerpt? This was just a class paper...not anything submitted to a journal. I personally feel like the director wouldn't want nor have much time to read 20+ pages, but maybe I'm wrong.

Thank you.
 
Sthpawslugger said:
Hi OrthoTraumaMD,

I'm a second-year osteopathic medical student who has known throughout working as an athletic trainer and ortho medical assistant that I wanted to pursue ortho. My school provides us with only 4 audition rotations and I want to utilize those wisely. There is one traditionally osteopathic orthopedic residency nearby in a neighboring state that has a relationship with my school. There are also 2 orthopedic residencies in my state that are both located at academic medical centers affiliated with respective allopathic institutions. With that said, should I stick with applying to programs that are "D.O. friendly" aka the formerly AOA programs, or also apply to my state ACGME programs?

Secondly, I'm applying to an orthopedic research internship and have been asked to submit a writing sample in addition to other application materials. I've submitted personal statements, cover letters, etc. in the past, but never been asked to submit a writing sample. The paper I planned to submit as my sample is 20 pages. Seeing that you have worked in academics and research, do you recommend I submit the entire paper or just an excerpt? This was just a class paper...not anything submitted to a journal. I personally feel like the director wouldn't want nor have much time to read 20+ pages, but maybe I'm wrong.

Thank you.
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Unfortunately I have no experience with DO, as we have only taken MDs. So has every program I’ve been with. So I can’t answer that.

As for the writing sample, yes, submit an excerpt.


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OrthoTraumaMD said:
You won’t be as productive. Also, being very familiar with ivory tower research places, I can say that the reality is this: at those places, you rarely see the faculty. You will mostly work with their research non-physician admins, and the residents. They have a million students, and the chances of developing a meaningful relationship in a short amount of time is slim. Many of them have never even been to their own research office — they don’t even know what building it’s in. The idea that you’ll work one on one with a “big name” is a pie in the sky.
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@Fracture I'm assuming you're talking about the MSSRF program at HSS that Dr. Sculco created. Let me give you my perspective as someone who did this program a few years ago. It's VERY attending dependent as @OrthoTraumaMD mentioned. The others in the program with me worked with attendings like Dr. Bostrom (the former PD), Dr. Ranawat, and other big names. It is true that some of them did not produce a damn thing during the entire summer and barely saw their mentor. But, I worked with an amazing attending that sat down with me every week to talk about our research progress. I finished the project he had for me within 4 weeks (I did the data collection, the stats, and wrote the manuscript). I presented the project at a meeting in Europe (with my mentor) and it got published in a top orthopaedic journal (first author). Since I did all this so quickly, he gave me more to do, and I helped co-write a book chapter with him during the 2nd 4 weeks. I would call that a VERY productive summer coming out of MS1 year, AND I developed a great relationship with an awesome mentor.

@OrthoTraumaMD is correct that the chance of you working 1-on-1 with a big name is hard. My mentor is not who you might describe as a "big name" but I didn't really care. He's an attending at HSS. I'd rather have a guy like him who knows me well than a big name ortho attending who might just say "yeah hes a guy that I worked with once."

So if you do the MSSRF program, don't expect that you'll be productive. If you get a good mentor, you have a chance, but odds are probably lower than 50%. Keep that in mind before you decide.
 
ceilingfan019 said:
@Fracture I'm assuming you're talking about the MSSRF program at HSS that Dr. Sculco created. Let me give you my perspective as someone who did this program a few years ago. It's VERY attending dependent as @OrthoTraumaMD mentioned. The others in the program with me worked with attendings like Dr. Bostrom (the former PD), Dr. Ranawat, and other big names. It is true that some of them did not produce a damn thing during the entire summer and barely saw their mentor. But, I worked with an amazing attending that sat down with me every week to talk about our research progress. I finished the project he had for me within 4 weeks (I did the data collection, the stats, and wrote the manuscript). I presented the project at a meeting in Europe (with my mentor) and it got published in a top orthopaedic journal (first author). Since I did all this so quickly, he gave me more to do, and I helped co-write a book chapter with him during the 2nd 4 weeks. I would call that a VERY productive summer coming out of MS1 year, AND I developed a great relationship with an awesome mentor.

@OrthoTraumaMD is correct that the chance of you working 1-on-1 with a big name is hard. My mentor is not who you might describe as a "big name" but I didn't really care. He's an attending at HSS. I'd rather have a guy like him who knows me well than a big name ortho attending who might just say "yeah hes a guy that I worked with once."

So if you do the MSSRF program, don't expect that you'll be productive. If you get a good mentor, you have a chance, but odds are probably lower than 50%. Keep that in mind before you decide.
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Thanks for your input. Always good to see someone who’s been through it recently. The ivory tower doesn’t change much, but I’m glad that even in those places there are attendings who pay attention to students. It gets more difficult as you gain “fame” and therefore get busier.


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ceilingfan019 said:
@Fracture I'm assuming you're talking about the MSSRF program at HSS that Dr. Sculco created. Let me give you my perspective as someone who did this program a few years ago. It's VERY attending dependent as @OrthoTraumaMD mentioned. The others in the program with me worked with attendings like Dr. Bostrom (the former PD), Dr. Ranawat, and other big names. It is true that some of them did not produce a damn thing during the entire summer and barely saw their mentor. But, I worked with an amazing attending that sat down with me every week to talk about our research progress. I finished the project he had for me within 4 weeks (I did the data collection, the stats, and wrote the manuscript). I presented the project at a meeting in Europe (with my mentor) and it got published in a top orthopaedic journal (first author). Since I did all this so quickly, he gave me more to do, and I helped co-write a book chapter with him during the 2nd 4 weeks. I would call that a VERY productive summer coming out of MS1 year, AND I developed a great relationship with an awesome mentor.

@OrthoTraumaMD is correct that the chance of you working 1-on-1 with a big name is hard. My mentor is not who you might describe as a "big name" but I didn't really care. He's an attending at HSS. I'd rather have a guy like him who knows me well than a big name ortho attending who might just say "yeah hes a guy that I worked with once."

So if you do the MSSRF program, don't expect that you'll be productive. If you get a good mentor, you have a chance, but odds are probably lower than 50%. Keep that in mind before you decide.
Click to expand...

Thanks for your perspective!
 
A recent article published in the The American Journal for Surgery of the Hand found that use of a mini C-arm is no more effective in reduction of adult distal radius fxs than without. Radial height, inclination, volar tilt, and ulnar variance between 63 pts were evaluated. No significant difference was found between the group with the C-arm and the group without.

Is there a way that this result could be explained?
 
Fracture said:
A recent article published in the The American Journal for Surgery of the Hand found that use of a mini C-arm is no more effective in reduction of adult distal radius fxs than without. Radial height, inclination, volar tilt, and ulnar variance between 63 pts were evaluated. No significant difference was found between the group with the C-arm and the group without.

Is there a way that this result could be explained?
Click to expand...

Because you do not need a C-arm to know how to properly reduce a radius. The C-arm is for lazy people who don’t understand biomechanics. Outside the OR, I’ve never used a C-arm to reduce anything. When you reduce a wrist, you should be able to feel it click into place. And if you are not good at the actual act of reduction, having a C-arm there is not going to help you. Unless you hook the volar cortex, you will lose your reduction anyway. So if you suck at reductions, all of your x-rays will look the same.


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OrthoTraumaMD said:
Also... @Fracture I just have to say it because I’ve been staring at your profile pic for like a year now. I must ask, is it intentional that your username is Fracture, and the Xray has a fracture of the lateral wall because the screw broke through it when it was placed? Will heal fine but it’s just bothering me


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Click to expand...

I'm guessing the picture is different now because I can't see what you're talking about and now I'm curious
 
Psai said:
I'm guessing the picture is different now because I can't see what you're talking about and now I'm curious
Click to expand...

Hahahaha.
Yes @Fracture did change it..... but it’s still not great lol!! I’m dying.
The nail is too short. Distally it should be at the physeal scar (where the growth plate was).
@Fracture do you need my help finding a pic? I don’t mean to rag on you but I find this hilarious and I ran out of residents to torture today 😉


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Are orthos the "big dogs" of the hospital (besides CEO and admins)
 
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