Subspecialties within Ortho?

[QuakerMD]

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What is it that subspecializing within orthopedics allows one to do? Are they licensed to perform more specialized procedures than general orthopods?

Also, along the same lines- how competitive is it to obtain one of these spots after residency (esp. spine and adult reconstructive).

Thanks all.

 

[edmadison]

Originally posted by QuakerMD
What is it that subspecializing within orthopedics allows one to do? Are they licensed to perform more specialized procedures than general orthopods?

Also, along the same lines- how competitive is it to obtain one of these spots after residency (esp. spine and adult reconstructive).

Thanks all.

Being licensed has nothing to do with subspecialties. Actually, Anyone with an unrestricted medical license can do any procedure (i.e. a psychiatrist can do abdominal surgery). Of course this is limited by hospital priviledges and insurance company reembursement.

In many communities, general orthopods with do everything except spine, hand, some pelivs and some foot. In large academic medical centers people are much more specialized. I believe that sports is the most competitive because it is a golden ticket.

Ed

 

[WingZero]

In general, getting an orthopaedic fellowship is much easier than getting an orthopaedic residency. Residents can usually get into one of their top choices for fellowship unless they are gunning for the big names like Steadman-Hawkins or Kerlan-Jobe for sports, etc. etc. Sports seems to be fairly saturated these days but still remains competitive. I don't know about sports being a "golden ticket" - most people who do sports fellowships these days end up in general practice. The fellowship allows the general orthopod to be more marketable and to do common stuff like ACL's without having to give those cases up. Spine is also fairly competitive, adult reconstruction less so. In fields like peds ortho, there are far more spots than applicants so the field is wide open.

 

[lattimer13]

how competitive is hand surg? can't one also get into hands through plastics and general surg?

 

[ortho2003]

hand isn't very competetive unless you want to go to louisville or indy...there are more spots out there than there are people applying, like most ortho fellowships. You can go into hand with plastics and general surgery also, although I think most general surgeons end up doing two years of fellowship rather than one.