I was in your same boat. Didnt match ortho, and did a TY. The problem with TY that no one at my med school told me about, until I was doing the same thing you are with re-applying to ortho programs, is that damn funding issue.
Say you match Family Medicine. Medicare, which is responsible for resident salaries, basically earmarks you for 3 years of funding at X amount, and guarantees the resident's hospital that money.
Now say, your halfway into your FP residency and want to do ortho. Ortho is 5 years, and now you need 2 years of extra funding. Medicare wont extend your funding beyond what they initially gave you when u matched FP. So, its up to the hospital that you are going to do ortho, to pick up the additional years of funding.
TY year presents a similar problem. Hospitals will have to basically fund your last year of your ortho residency on their own. Medicare wont pick up the additional year.
So when faced with taking you, or a 4th year medical student who has no funding constraints, most programs will take the 4th year.
There are a couple of ortho programs that will pay the difference. I called every program and just asked them. The ones I remember who would were Chicago, Riverside, Botsford, Corvallis. There may be others.
I ended up matching into an ortho program that picked up my funding; but unfortunately, they are no longer doing that.
Call all the programs and ask them. Apply to everybody, because you never know. Is there an ortho program where you are doing your TY? That would be your best bet.
Let me know if you have any other questions
