What is with people's incessant need to go into Ortho?

[Manual Disimpaction]

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Ortho sucks if someone offered me an ortho residency on the street I'd 100% turn it down those were some miserable weeks in the OR

 

[deleted706240]

I'm interested in ortho because 90% of the things that inspired me to go into medicine dealt with ortho. From sports Med to ortho oncology. Also I lift weights and drink beer and was in a fraternity, but those are secondary motivations 😉


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[cbrons]

People think Ortho is "cool." In reality, it is a very nuanced specialty and the majority of inexperienced med students who think they'll like it but wont.

Its very similar to ENT in this regard.

The best surgeons in both fields are actually quite nerdy. Theyre very rarely the gunners, and usually have a demonstrable research interest over a long period of time. They are not lifestyle fields by any means.

Many snowflakes like to picture themselves as an Orthopedic Surgeon or an Otolaryngologist because theyre so emotionally immature that the allure of (mostly imaginary) prestige becomes more important than a basic exploration of the career from a practical stand-point. But then, these types of narcissistic people are the ones they are admitting in droves these days.

 

[ChordaEpiphany]

.

 

[giantswing]

Meh; most young people in medical school are/were relatively healthy w little exposure to medicine as a patient. There's quite a few sons and daughters of orthopods who are drawn to the field because of heritage. I think a big turn off for ortho is actually being interested in medicine, and the OR.

 

[NWwildcat2013]

Meh; most young people in medical school are/were relatively healthy w little exposure to medicine as a patient. There's quite a few sons and daughters of orthopods who are drawn to the field because of heritage. I think a big turn off for ortho is actually being interested in medicine, and the OR.

I thought I'd like ortho until I realized how little it resembled medicine. When I rotated on medicine the residents had an excel spreadsheet (not even a real list in the EMR) on which they had a few columns. Patient information, procedure name, antibiotic type, and whether the patient was being anti-coagulated or not. That was all. As much as I moan about long IM rounds the ortho life takes it too far the other way for me. It just made me sad.

This is may raise some hackles but a lot of it feels similar to podiatry. I felt that if I did ortho I would find myself wondering why I put myself through medical school and I would absolutely miss using that medicine type knowledge. I could see how trauma and onc might feel different but being an "ankle guy" or a "hand specialist" just seemed like a dismal and limiting future.

I see how some people like it, but it certainly isn't for me.

 

[VincentAdultman]

I thought I'd like ortho until I realized how little it resembled medicine. When I rotated on medicine the residents had an excel spreadsheet (not even a real list in the EMR) on which they had a few columns. Patient information, procedure name, antibiotic type, and whether the patient was being anti-coagulated or not. That was all. As much as I moan about long IM rounds the ortho life takes it too far the other way for me. It just made me sad.

This is may raise some hackles but a lot of it feels similar to podiatry. I felt that if I did ortho I would find myself wondering why I put myself through medical school and I would absolutely miss using that medicine type knowledge. I could see how trauma and onc might feel different but being an "ankle guy" or a "hand specialist" just seemed like a dismal and limiting future.

I see how some people like it, but it certainly isn't for me.

A lot of othopods still do a fellowship and practice general orthopaedics in addition to their sub specialty. Some don't do a fellowship at all. It depends on where you practice and what type it is.

 

[Slack3r]

People think Ortho is "cool." In reality, it is a very nuanced specialty and the majority of inexperienced med students who think they'll like it but wont.

Its very similar to ENT in this regard.

The best surgeons in both fields are actually quite nerdy. Theyre very rarely the gunners, and usually have a demonstrable research interest over a long period of time. They are not lifestyle fields by any means.

Many snowflakes like to picture themselves as an Orthopedic Surgeon or an Otolaryngologist because theyre so emotionally immature that the allure of (mostly imaginary) prestige becomes more important than a basic exploration of the career from a practical stand-point. But then, these types of narcissistic people are the ones they are admitting in droves these days.

Is ENT prestigious? Most people don't even know what an ENT is.

 

[username456789]

Is ENT prestigious? Most people don't even know what an ENT is.

ENT definitely never belonged anywhere near the ortho "prestige" conversation.

 

[NWwildcat2013]

Is ENT prestigious? Most people don't even know what an ENT is.

Or if they do its because they took their kid to one when they stuck a toy up the nose or in the ear.

 

[AlbinoHawk DO]

This thread is hilarious. Reminds me of how in osteo school 1/3 of all students say they want to do emergency med.

 

[Sam212]

Ortho is great, you don't have to deal with a lot of bull**** and you just fix the problem. It's a lot less frustrating than medicine or neurology, where you're mentally masturbating for hours with no solutions. I am sorry for all my colleagues that have to deal with all the social aspects of medicine, I feel for you. We have that in ortho too but to a far lesser extent. But by no means is Ortho Cush. I think there is a misconception out there that we are dumping our patients on other services while we're partying with strippers or something. I assure you that Ortho residents are the hardest working residents at most hospitals. And we do it with a pleasant attitude, unlike some of our other surgical counterparts. The field is very self selective, and most guys that are in it really enjoy the nature of work. It's a pretty blue collar field, you'll hardly see an ortho resident complaining.

Bottom line, it attracts a lot of people that like definite solutions for problems and don't care for all the social bull**** of medicine. You can call it dumb or whatever. Although, lately there are quite a few students that don't fit that mold and are applying due to some misguided ideas. Some of them do get in, most of them get sniffed out on their sub Is and never make it.

 

[NWwildcat2013]

Ortho is great, you don't have to deal with a lot of bull**** and you just fix the problem. It's a lot less frustrating than medicine or neurology, where you're mentally masturbating for hours with no solutions. I am sorry for all my colleagues that have to deal with all the social aspects of medicine, I feel for you. We have that in ortho too but to a far lesser extent. But by no means is Ortho Cush. I think there is a misconception out there that we are dumping our patients on other services while we're partying with strippers or something. I assure you that Ortho residents are the hardest working residents at most hospitals. And we do it with a pleasant attitude, unlike some of our other surgical counterparts. The field is very self selective, and most guys that are in it really enjoy the nature of work. It's a pretty blue collar field, you'll hardly see an ortho resident complaining.

Bottom line, it attracts a lot of people that like definite solutions for problems and don't care for all the social bull**** of medicine. You can call it dumb or whatever. Although, lately there are quite a few students that don't fit that mold and are applying due to some misguided ideas. Some of them do get in, most of them get sniffed out on their sub Is and never make it.

I agree most of this (ortho residents are really hard working and nice) except for the fact that you are characterizing ortho based on what residency is like. Sure, the residency is hard, but I would imagine that private practice ortho life is cush in the sense that you have better hours for good pay in addition to all the other stuff you mentioned like no social BS and real solutions to problems.

Correct me if I'm wrong about ortho lifestyle outside of academics, but I have to believe it can be tailored to be a chill as you want while still making more than your neurology or IM counterparts busting their butts. That is cush to me.

 

[VincentAdultman]

I agree most of this (ortho residents are really hard working and nice) except for the fact that you are characterizing ortho based on what residency is like. Sure, the residency is hard, but I would imagine that private practice ortho life is cush in the sense that you have better hours for good pay in addition to all the other stuff you mentioned like no social BS and real solutions to problems.

Correct me if I'm wrong about ortho lifestyle outside of academics, but I have to believe it can be tailored to be a chill as you want while still making more than your neurology or IM counterparts busting their butts. That is cush to me.

I mean your hospital/ partners are probably going to expect you to take call. Especially when your new and just building your practice.

 

[iceman55]

I agree most of this (ortho residents are really hard working and nice) except for the fact that you are characterizing ortho based on what residency is like. Sure, the residency is hard, but I would imagine that private practice ortho life is cush in the sense that you have better hours for good pay in addition to all the other stuff you mentioned like no social BS and real solutions to problems.

Correct me if I'm wrong about ortho lifestyle outside of academics, but I have to believe it can be tailored to be a chill as you want while still making more than your neurology or IM counterparts busting their butts. That is cush to me.

From what i have seen in private practice from 3 different docs. The joints and spine guys work a **** load. They do very well but i would not call it cush. Oh and needless to say trauma guys are probably doing 80 hour weeks consistently.


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[Sam212]

I agree most of this (ortho residents are really hard working and nice) except for the fact that you are characterizing ortho based on what residency is like. Sure, the residency is hard, but I would imagine that private practice ortho life is cush in the sense that you have better hours for good pay in addition to all the other stuff you mentioned like no social BS and real solutions to problems.

Correct me if I'm wrong about ortho lifestyle outside of academics, but I have to believe it can be tailored to be a chill as you want while still making more than your neurology or IM counterparts busting their butts. That is cush to me.

Sure, if you're strictly elective sports or foot and ankle, or may be hand, although most hand guys take call and hand call is even more brutal than trauma call. But even then, you're working harder than your outpatient neurology/IM tyPes. Most of your days start earlier and end later, and if you want to make bank, you have to crank out cases, which in itself can be stressful, bouncing room to room.

With that said, those guys probably make 20 percent of total Ortho population. Most every body else takes trauma call. Just this Christmas weekend, I was on call with a joints guy who's been in practice for 16 years, still taking call. And we did 8 cases over 2 days. I wouldn't describe that as Cush. Dermatology is cush. Allergy is cush. Not Ortho. I mean, it was great, we fixed a bunch of broken bones, but not Cush.

 

[deleted997951]

I think it all comes down to presentation:

People who say "I'm interested in orthopedics" or "I'd really love to do orthopedics" come across much less gunnery/douchey and I don't have a problem with them at all.

People who have no idea what it takes to match ortho (or any other competitive specialty) that go around saying they "just know" or are "100% certain" they'll do ortho are the most annoying. Especially when they're towards the bottom of the class and not doing well on exams. Reality check: you don't just pass medical school with a 75% and match ortho at MGH

Interest and passion are fine, blind confidence is beyond annoying.

Now you can!

 

[Redpancreas]

Its like theres a population in every medical class that can only see themselves as ortho from day 1 of med school and regardless of their scores think ortho residency is owed to them because they went to med school.

1. Highest Salaries in Medicine.
2. Immediate Impact on Patients
3. Flexibility after Training.

 

[Redpancreas]

It was a dumb joke. Was just making like I didn't know the difference between hepatology and herpetology. I didn't get very much sleep the last couple of nights because of duty and a sick infant, so in retrospect it wasn't as funny as I thought it was in my sleep-deprived state lol.

I thought it was funny.

 

[Redpancreas]

Now you can!

I'm assuming you're referring to a P/F school system with Step 2CK post-application? There's still clinical grades (including a shelf) and ortho rotations. It takes a hard worker to do well there, but yeah...connections and social skills can play a part in how you're perceived making it easier on some.

 

[Wolvvs]

Redpancreas, you make quite the necromancer XD

 

[Matthew9Thirtyfive]

Yeah let’s let the dead rest.