Residency Availability for DOs in Ortho Surg

[bgbg22]

I was just curious to see if anyone that is currently in DO school is having any luck landing in an ortho surg residency as a DO, compared to the typical MD to Ortho Surg path.

Is it totally impossible? Just wanted to know if anyone out there has been accepted or knows of any stats/information.

Thanks,

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[Didierdrogba]

I was just curious to see if anyone that is currently in DO school is having any luck landing in an ortho surg residency as a DO, compared to the typical MD to Ortho Surg path.

Is it totally impossible? Just wanted to know if anyone out there has been accepted or knows of any stats/information.

Thanks,

It's possible, you might want to talk to ortho joe

 

[darklabel]

ACGME Ortho spots aren't very DO friendly but there are quite a bit of AOA spots available.

However, I only know this from lurking around. Hopefully a med student or resident can chime in.

 

[A7X]

It's possible. The match data tables from the NRMP might have more info

 

[cabinbuilder]

I was just curious to see if anyone that is currently in DO school is having any luck landing in an ortho surg residency as a DO, compared to the typical MD to Ortho Surg path.

Is it totally impossible? Just wanted to know if anyone out there has been accepted or knows of any stats/information.

Thanks,

There are lots of practicing DO Orthopedic surgeons. It's not that unusual.

 

[Skeeks]

Yeah, I live in a VERY D.O. scarce area of the country and the first Orthopedic Surgeon I met was a D.O.

 

[NontradCA]

http://forums.sdn.net/showthread.php?p=13782069

 

[as1212559]

Plenty of aoa ortho spots in the sea.

 

[K31]

It's possible. The match data tables from the NRMP might have more info

NRMP data supports the contention it's difficult--6 out of 693 ACGME positions filled by DOs this year. To be fair, that is better than most other surgical subspecialties (eg ENT 1/292, plastics 0/127)?

Also, my understanding is ortho is the one surgical subspecialty where the AOA actually has a decent number of spots.

 

[SurgeDO]

Despite what the SDN circlejerk says, it is just as difficult to match ortho as a DO as it is as an MD.

 

[Mr Kenobi]

In sports medicine I came in contact with quite a few DO orthos. My LOR came from a DO orthopod. Dude is one of the reasons I decided to go to medical school...specifically DO.

 

[DrEnderW]

http://opportunities.osteopathic.or...essionid=f030d8567916f1a3333074277848592da797

Go here, select residency, select ortho surgery.

You'll notice that there are quite a few AOA ortho residencies for DOs across the country. Aside from these, a handful match ACGME per year, but your best bet is the AOA route. It is very competitive just like an MD going ACGME ortho. Try to hit up some ortho specific research.

 

[cliquesh]

There were 100 AOA ortho positions offered in the 2013 AOA match. There were 4913 DO graduates that year.

In 2011, there were 1.76 "first choice" applicants for each AOA orthopedic spot. First choice applicant means people who applied to orthopedics only or orthopedics and another speciality, like general surgery, but orthopedics was their preferred choice. The 1.76 figure does not include those who applied to orthopedics as a second choice, like urology first choice and orthopedics second choice, so there are actually more than 1.76 applicants per spot.

In 2011, the average board score for someone successful matching AOA surgery was in the 570's, which, at the time, was a score in the 83 percentile.

As K31, mentioned, 6 DOs matched Acgme orthopedics this year. If you attend a DO school it is unlikely you will match Acgme orthopedics.

 

[Mr Kenobi]

As K31, mentioned, 6 DOs matched Acgme orthopedics this year. If you attend a DO school it is unlikely you will match Acgme orthopedics.

But all Ortho spots will be ACGME at some point...

 

[cliquesh]

But all Ortho spots will be ACGME at some point...

Maybe. The merger has been postponed already. I would not count on it happening. At any rate, there's nothing wrong with AOA programs. I just wanted to give the OP a heads up that it is unlikely they will match at University of X for their orthopedic residency. I want pre-meds to understand what they are getting into before they attend a DO school.

 

[Mr Kenobi]

Maybe. The merger has been postponed already. I would not count on it happening. At any rate, there's nothing wrong with AOA programs. I just wanted to give the OP a heads up that it is unlikely they will match at University of X for their orthopedic residency. I want pre-meds to understand what they are getting into before they attend a DO school.

I got ya it's pretty tough (albeit more probable) for MDs to land those Ortho residencies at University of X as well.

 

[DwightSchruteDO]

I would say it is slightly easier to get an interview/match MD ortho as an MD student. One of the main reasons for it being slightly easier to match MD ortho as an MD student is because most MD ortho residencies interview just based on your application. Many MD students match at places they did not rotate at or do not rotate at their top choices because they don't want to mess up there. Realistically, you can do just 2 MD ortho auditions and still get 15 interviews. In the DO world unless you rotate at a place your chances of getting an interview let alone matching there are slim to none; so realistically you will get 5-6 interviews max assuming you rotate at 4-6 DO places.

Just note that a lot of well qualified, deserving, people don't match ortho; it is even tougher the next year to try and match as a TRI. just my opinion having completed the rat race and matched.

 

[Dreamstoo]

In sports medicine I came in contact with quite a few DO orthos. My LOR came from a DO orthopod. Dude is one of the reasons I decided to go to medical school...specifically DO.

Yey. I want to do sports medicine ortho and I'm currently competitive for DOs (sgpa/cgpa hover around 3.3-3.5, current sophomore)

 

[Back 5]

I would say it is slightly easier to get an interview/match MD ortho as an MD student. One of the main reasons for it being slightly easier to match MD ortho as an MD student is because most MD ortho residencies interview just based on your application. Many MD students match at places they did not rotate at or do not rotate at their top choices because they don't want to mess up there. Realistically, you can do just 2 MD ortho auditions and still get 15 interviews. In the DO world unless you rotate at a place your chances of getting an interview let alone matching there are slim to none; so realistically you will get 5-6 interviews max assuming you rotate at 4-6 DO places.

Just note that a lot of well qualified, deserving, people don't match ortho; it is even tougher the next year to try and match as a TRI. just my opinion having completed the rat race and matched.

Is it as much of a stat race as anything else? Competitive gpa and board scores?

 

[cliquesh]

Is it as much of a stat race as anything else? Competitive gpa and board scores?

Ortho is comlex (you need around a 85th percentile) and audition rotations. The average DO who matches AOA orthopedics only ranks, on average, 4 programs. That is because they only had time to rotate at 3 to 6 programs.

You know if you do IM plus pulm/crit, which is one of the easiest IM fellowships, you get paid around 270k-320k. Its not the end of the world if you cannot be an orthopod.

 

[Back 5]

You know if you do IM plus pulm/crit, which is one of the easiest IM fellowships, you get paid around 270k-320k. Its not the end of the world if you cannot be an orthopod.

I didn't say it was.

I have no idea what specialty I will eventually become. Sure, I have had experiences with a lot of specialties, but I am excited to find out where my talents lie. I would like to do something that I know I will be great at versus trying to match a specialty because of its prestige or pay scale.

 

[cliquesh]

I didn't say it was.

I have no idea what specialty I will eventually become. Sure, I have had experiences with a lot of specialties, but I am excited to find out where my talents lie. I would like to do something that I know I will be great at versus trying to match a specialty because of its prestige or pay scale.

I wasn't judging or anything. I always assumed pre-meds thought if you didn't match ortho or derm you lived on food stamps. If knee and hip replacements are where your talents lie, so be it.

 

[Mr Kenobi]

I wasn't judging or anything. I always assumed pre-meds thought if you didn't match ortho or derm you lived on food stamps.

 

[NontradCA]

 

[DwightSchruteDO]

Is it as much of a stat race as anything else? Competitive gpa and board scores?

ACGME Ortho is more of a stat/research race. DO ortho, as someone pointed out, you need at least 85th percentile to be on the safe side. The key to getting in is doing amazing on your audition rotations. Based on my experience and those of some of my allopathic counterparts... the DO programs, on average, seem to pimp you more and expect you to know more. They gauge how well you work with their residents, how much of a slacker you are not, if you really know your stuff, and that you want to do ortho for the right reasons.

With that being said...do not underestimate the value of competitive gpa, board scores, and any form of research. I feel like a lot of the students I rotated with did that. They had sub 550-500 scores and just assumed they would work hard and every thing will be okay; most ended up not working hard/hard enough and didn't match. don't expect to make up for slacking off the past 4 years in just 4 weeks...the application will def have holes in it.